


take me all the way

by MissBinx



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Demisexual Rey (Star Wars), Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, HEA, Happily Ever After, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape is not between Kylo/Rey, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mob Boss Kylo Ren, Murder, Prostitution, Sex Work, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Sugar Daddy, a healthy dose of fluff, probably only in chapter one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:55:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 44,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissBinx/pseuds/MissBinx
Summary: After Maz Kanata's death, Rey takes over Natur'elle Cafe, a front for an escort service and vowed that she would never sleep with a man for money again. But when mob boss Kylo Ren sees her while collecting protection money, he's determined to make her his mistress.**“Everyone has a price, Rey.”“Not me,” she said, her chin sticking out in defiance. She belonged to no one, least of all him. He could have all the money he wanted from her, but he couldn’t have her body.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 323
Kudos: 550





	1. Meet Rey

Rey sat on the uncomfortable folding chair in the dusty office of Luke Skywalker, trying not to cry. She had cried more in the past few days than she had ever cried in her entire life.

Maz was gone and she never felt so alone.  _ I need a distraction, _ she thought, looking around the cramped room. This was not the first time she’s had to visit Luke Skywalker’s office and she doubted that it would be the last. On top of the filing cabinet was a box so full of papers, it looked as if it would topple over at any moment and Rey found no comfort in the chaos of the office and certainly no worthwhile distraction.

She was spared the impulsive need for something to keep her brain from wandering to her mentor when the door to the office opened and Luke walked in with two cups of coffee in his hands. He sat down at his desk and slid a cup across the top towards Rey and then straightened the jacket of his old brown tweed suit. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s fine,” Rey said, even though it wasn't. She hated that she was the only one who had shown up for the reading of Maz’ will. It was as if the moment Maz seized to be, the entire world already forgot about her. She couldn’t help wondering where the other girls were. Or the men who frequented her establishment. Or Chewie or Han or any of Maz’ friends. “I have nowhere else to be anymore,” she shrugged.

_ What am I going to do without Maz? _ She wondered. She knew the answer, but dreaded even thinking about it. She hadn’t slept with a man since...

“Rey,” he cut off her thoughts and she glanced up at him. She didn’t like the look he was giving her, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking about. The sympathy that was there, slides from his face to be replaced with a weak smile. The news he was about to deliver was bittersweet. “Maz left Natur’elle to you.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “She what?”

Luke set aside his cup of coffee and reached across the desk for Rey’s hand. “She wanted you to run it.”

Rey shook her head, her hands sliding into her lap as tears stung her eyes. Maz had done so much for Rey. Everything. And Rey knew that she could never repay Maz if she had a thousand lifetimes, but now there was  _ this. _

She stared down at her hands, ignoring Luke as he slid a box of tissues across the desk. A single tear hit the top of her hands and she couldn’t help but remember how just weeks ago those very same hands had been covered in the blood of Unkar Plutt. She choked back a sob as she remembered Maz rubbing her back and stroking her hair as she washed her hands over and over. 

She hadn’t meant to kill Plutt. He was the one steady regular that Rey could rely on to make a bad day worse. He had his eye on her from the time Maz first took her in at thirteen, always leering at her as she served coffee or cleaned up. He was one of her first clients and probably would have been the one to take her virginity if he’d been rich enough. Maybe that was why he resented her -- because he could never really have her the way he wanted. Sure, he could hold her down, pull her hair, be rough with her and Rey would take it because what were a few bruises when he had helped put food on the table? 

But as time went on, he got meaner -- started calling her horrible names, putting his hand on his throat as he fucked her. Maz almost banned him when he refused to pay Rey her full fee. The last straw was when he wrapped his hand around her neck and Rey had no choice but to reach over to the nightstand and clobber him over the head with a clock radio. As she gasped for air and pushed his body off of her, she couldn’t stop hitting him with it -- over and over until his head was a bloody pulp and her hands and the sheets and the walls were coated in his blood.

She was scared, yes, but she was also angry. She was angry at Plutt, at being treated like property, at having to lay back and take it all because it was the only thing she could do to earn her keep. 

But what else could she do? She was in the country illegally, no parents, no home, no education.

She was grateful to Maz, for so many things: putting a roof over her head and food in her belly, teaching her how to read and cook and clean and balance the books. And until today, she was most grateful to Maz because she had taken care of the body and the crime scene. Like a mother, she had hugged Rey and cooed in her ear about how everything would be okay. 

Rey hadn’t been with a client since that night, and she was thankful for that, but even more thankful that now she would never have to sleep with another man again. Natur’elle was hers and hers alone. She could run it how she pleased. She could make sure that another Unkar Plutt never walked through the doors or touched one of her friends again.

“Are you sure?” she asked Luke, shaking herself from her thoughts. “It’s mine?”

“Yes,” Luke said. “There are some more details to work out, but I promise that I will make sure that it is yours.”

Rey didn’t know what he meant by details, but she didn’t care. She trusted Luke to take care of it, just like he’d swept Plutt’s murder under the rug. Not one to ask questions, she nodded at him. “Thank you,” she could feel the tears stinging her eyes. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“I do, Rey,” he said, nodding towards the tissues and this time she plucked one from the box and dabbed at her eyes. When she composed herself enough for him to continue, he added, “I’ll need you to go down to the cafe. You’re going to be visited by a man today and he will want the envelope in Maz’s safe.”

“What is it?” Rey asked as Luke handed her a piece of paper with the safe combination written on it. She didn’t understand.

“It’s protection money. A man who works for The Knights will visit you and you just give him the money,” Luke explained and when Rey looked like she was going to interrupt him, he held up his hand, “Just listen. He will come once a month and you will give him an envelope with $10,000.”

“Ten thousand?!” Rey cried. “That’s… has Maz been paying the mob that much? Every month?”

“The fee went up recently,” Luke looked uncomfortable as he added that piece of information and a heavy feeling filled Rey’s stomach. 

“What are we paying them for?” Rey asked cautiously.

“For protection. They keep the police off your trail, keep other escort services out of the area… help cover up crimes,” Luke treaded carefully and Rey knew that the reason the fee went up was her fault -- Maz had made a deal with the mob to help clean up Rey’s mess. “Check the books, you’ll be fine without the $10,000. And since Maz made the deal with The Knights, his men have been paying more than that for the, ahem, company you ladies provide.”

Even if that was true, Rey’s stomach churned to know that Maz had to pay so much just because Rey was stupid enough to let her anger get the better of her. “I just…”

“Rey, stop. If Maz was here, she would tell you that you were worth the money. You did what you had to do to survive and she knew that. She felt guilty about letting Plutt ever touch you. She loved you in her own way and this was her way of showing you,” Luke explained.

She nodded and blew her nose into the same kleenex that she’d been clutching in her fist. Luke was right: Maz never forgave herself for introducing Rey to Plutt and to prostitution and this was the only way she knew to make it up to her. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, I’m just doing my job. Now, your meeting is in twenty and you need to be there. Kylo Ren will not be happy if you keep his men waiting.”

Rey rose from her chair and stuffed a few tissues into her purse. “Okay. Right. Yes.”

“You can do this,” Luke told her. “And you have me on retainer. Call me if you need  _ anything _ .”

Rey nodded and closed the door behind her. She knew the elevator was broken, so she walked past it towards the stairs and made her way down. Strange was the only word she could think of to describe the way she felt. How could she simultaneously feel happy and scared and sad and angry and hopeful?

Luke’s office was only around the corner from Natur’elle and Rey’s mind was free to wander as her feet brought her to the tenement building that housed the cafe. As she entered the cafe, she nodded to Rose, who was in the process of bringing a red haired man up the back staircase. Telling her friend would have to wait for later when there weren’t any customers.

“I’m going to be in Maz’s office,” Rey stopped at the counter to explain to Finn, who worked security for the girls. “A man will come in here asking for me, so send him back when he comes.”

“Rey, are you…?” Finn looked around and lowered his voice, “taking clients again?”

Rey shook her head, and reached out to take Finn’s hand. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

Finn seemed like he wanted to argue, or at least ask for more information, but he turned his attention towards the door when a tall man in a suit entered the doorway. “Can I help you?”

Rey couldn’t help but let her eyes trail up his body, starting with the expensive leather shoes, charcoal grey suit and landing on his face as he pulled off an expensive looking pair of sunglasses. Rey wasn’t one to notice men, wasn’t interested in anything they had to offer and only put up with their existence because it was her means of survival but she found it hard to deny that this particular man was very good looking. And rich, if appearances were any judge, so she knew that he must be her visitor.

“I’m here to see Rey,” he said, not bothering to look at Finn as he strolled the cafe with his hands in his pockets like he owned the place. Rey didn’t like the way he wouldn’t look at them as he spoke, or the way his eyes roamed over the cafe in disdain as if personally offended by the decor. 

Rey frowned, anger bubbling up at the thought of the stupid Knights and all of the money that would be handed over because of her stupid mistake. Now, the mob could come strolling in acting like they owned the place and there was nothing she could do about it. Her fists clenched at her sides as Finn said, “This is Rey.”

The man turned to look at her, as if noticing her for the first time, and she crossed her arms over her chest as he took an obscenely long moment to look her up and down. She’d been with enough men to know exactly what he was thinking, and she’d never let  _ that _ happen. Money would be the only thing he would be getting from her.

“You’re Rey?” he asked, stepping closer until Rey was forced to look up at him. She recognized the powerplay for what it was and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes.”

“Kylo Ren,” he offered his hand and Rey refused to take it as she heard Finn choke on his coffee behind her.

“ _ The  _ Kylo Ren?” Finn squeaked and rushed to Rey’s side as Kylo Ren shot an icy glare at him. “Rey,” Finn scrambled to her side, tugging on her arm and leaning in to whisper, “That’s Kylo Ren. The boss.”

Rey gave Finn the side-eye. She didn’t care who he was and she wasn’t going to treat him like he was doing her a favor when she was paying him good money for his ‘protection’. “Coming?” she asked Kylo over her shoulder after she’d pulled her arm away from Finn.

Kylo Ren raised an eyebrow, but gave a terse nod as he followed Rey back to the office. When he got there, she was already bent over, leaning head first into the safe in the corner when he entered the room and he couldn’t help but appreciate the peek of her rounded asscheeks from where the hem of her ratty floral dress had lifted.

She turned around, the envelope of cash in her hand, and her face screwed up in anger when she realized he’d been staring at her ass. She clenched her jaw and held out the envelope of money. “Here.”

Kylo Ren took a step closer to Rey and reached out, putting a hand on her hip. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

“Don’t touch me,” she ground out, grabbing his hand from her hip and smacking the envelope onto his palm. “There’s your damned money. Now kindly get the fuck out.”

“What if I’d like to schedule a visit with you?” he asked, placing the envelope on the desk.

“Impossible,” she gritted out. She wanted to scream at him, to be offended or lash out, but what right did she have? He was in a whore house, so why would he treat her as anything else? She wasn’t sure why his assumption bothered her as much as it had.

“Have I done something to offend you?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

“No,” Rey said through gritted teeth. “You have what you came for.”

“Not quite,” he smirked, and his voice went even deeper and smoother as he said, “I don’t have you.”

“I’m not for sale,” she told him, crossing her arms over her chest. She had already decided, the moment she’d stepped out of Luke’s office, that she would never again sleep with a man for money. From this day until the day she died, she would save her body for someone she loved. Maybe she didn’t deserve that and maybe she would never know the touch of a man ever again, but she would be damned if she took money for sex again.

“Everyone has a price, Rey.”

“Not me,” she said, her chin sticking out in defiance. She belonged to no one, least of all him. He could have all the money he wanted from her, but he couldn’t have her body.

He smirked and grabbed the envelope off the desk, holding it out to her. “Not even $10,000?”

She shook her head. “Not for all the money in Manhattan, Mr. Ren.”

“We’ll see about that, sweetheart.” He put the envelope in the pocket in the lining of his jacket and leaned down towards her. For a moment, Rey was worried that he would try to kiss her, but instead he reached out to take her chin in his hand. “Next month, I expect double.”

Rey yanked her face away, looking up at him in a mixture of horror and anger. “What?! That's not fair!”

Kylo Ren shrugged, “Unless you think we might be able to come to a different arrangement.”

Rey narrowed her eyes and took a step closer, poking him in the chest, “I am not for sale. I won’t sleep with you now or ever. You came for your protection money and you’ve got it. Now unless you want to set up an appointment with one of my girls, GET OUT.”

Kylo leaned in close, “I only want you.” He took a step back and pulled his sunglasses on, turning towards the door. He paused, looking back over his shoulder as he told her, “And I always get what I want.”

He was halfway out the door when Rey growled, “Asshole.” Instead of anger, she was met with amusement as Kylo chuckled. Rey picked up a mug off the table, hurling it at the back of Kylo Ren’s head, but the door closed just in time.

Rey cursed under her breath and her hands shook as she picked up the broken shards of glass from the floor. She didn’t like the way Kylo Ren had looked at her, confident and cocky like he thought that he already owned her. And Rey, well, she was scared because a part of her knew that he  _ would _ own her soon enough.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that future chapters won't be as dark but I wanted to give Rey a backstory that would make her motivations in the story realistic and understandable to readers. This fic will have plenty of humor and fluff in the future. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jeeaysee0925)! I write textfics too!


	2. A First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who read Twelve Months to the Altar, you know I sometimes like to include pics of outfit inspo. I'll be doing the same for this fic <3
> 
> [Rey's Date Outfit](https://imgur.com/a/QzIFsfB)

Rey knew that she could have taken Maz’s old room, the largest and most private in the three floors of the building because she was, for all intents and purposes, the lady of the house now. But she couldn’t bring herself to step foot into Maz’s room to pack up her belongings. Besides, by now she was so used to the room she shared with Rose and their twin mattresses on the floor.

Not that she slept well with everything on her mind and no amount of tossing and turning was going to solve her biggest problem: finding $20,000 to pay Mr. Ren while also doing something to deter him from pursuing her. The thought alone of sleeping with any man was enough to make Rey’s stomach churn -- and while she could objectively acknowledge that Mr. Ren was an attractive man, he also made his money through violence and intimidation and for that, Rey could not tolerate him.

The sun had not yet risen, and Rose was still softly snoring, when Rey pulled herself out of bed and dressed quietly. She knew, as she walked down the stairs, that Finn was undoubtedly already awake because she could smell his strong coffee brewing in the kitchen. 

“You got a delivery this morning,” Finn nodded towards a vase of daisies sitting on the counter. 

Rey froze in the doorway, eyeing the daisies suspiciously before walking across the tiled floor to reach them. “They’re not for Maz?”

“Your name is on the card,” Finn shrugged and poured a cup of coffee for Rey, adding a generous amount of cream and sugar for her.

Rey had to force herself not to admire the daisies. Nothing in life came free, not even a simple vase of wildflowers. She could feel Finn’s breath on her neck as she plucked the card out of the vase and opened it up and while she would prefer privacy to read the card, she’d never had the luxury, so she slid her nail under the flap of the envelope and opened it.

The words written on the card were simple, a message that made Rey crumple the card in her hand and toss it into the garbage: Be mine. -K.R.

“Who is K.R.?” Finn asked, raising an eyebrow as Rey took her cup of coffee from him.

“No one important,” she answered and the look on her face must have been enough to stop Finn from questioning the response. She couldn’t believe the nerve of Mr. Ren, thinking that a bouquet of cheap flowers would be enough for her to even consider becoming his whore.

Rey loved daisies, but they weren’t romantic or extravagant or expensive like roses. How cheap did he think she was that she would swoon over such a thoughtless gift? She snorted into her coffee cup. If he thought she would ever sleep with him, he had another thing coming to him.

Flowers were not going to change her mind, and neither was raising the ‘protection fees’ twofold. She would get Mr. Ren his money and she knew exactly how she was going to do it.

*****

Rey would be lying if she said she was surprised to get a visit from Kylo Ren. She knew he would be dropping by for a visit, but she certainly hadn’t expected to see him quite so soon.

She had been going over books in Maz’ office, trying to figure out if they could feasibly afford a new espresso machine for the shop, when her door burst open and Kylo Ren strode across the room. Rey had to bite back her smirk at the look of pure disbelief and rage on his face. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Mr. Ren, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

He practically growled at her as he put his hands on the surface of her desk and leaned across to glower over her. She knew he was trying to intimidate her but she wouldn’t be taking the bait so she put her feet up on her desk, nudging his hands off her desk with the heel of her stiletto. 

“You know why I’m here.” He seemed to get the memo and straightened up, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Rey decided to play dumb. “I most certainly do not. I’m a very busy woman, Mr. Ren. You’ll have to stop wasting my time and cut to the chase.”

“Wasting your time?” he asked incredulously. “You are wasting my time by forcing me to come down here and get this all settled.”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” Rey told him with a put-on air of innocence. She was going to continue to pretend she had no idea what he was talking about, get him all nice and riled up…

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” he shouted, coming around the desk. He put his hand on the back of her chair and leaned down so that his face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her cheek. “I’m done playing games.”

Rey swallowed as her fingers clenched the arms of her chair and she fought the creeping sensation working its way up her spine, telling her to run. The last thing she wanted was for Kylo Ren to know that she was afraid. She wouldn’t give him an ounce of power over her. “Are you? If I recall correctly, it was you who started this game.”

“I don’t have the patience for this, Rey,” he ground out, shoving her chair away until it hit the wall. Rey’s heart was pounding and she was almost afraid he was going to hurt her, but he turned away and started pacing angrily. “Do you have any idea who you’re messing with? Charging my men double for the company of your girls?”

Rey shrugged, “You doubled your fees. I didn’t have any choice but to raise mine as well.”

“You think you’re clever,” he narrowed his eyes. He stopped his pacing and looked at her in a way that made Rey’s stomach tighten. Like he was hungry. “Lower your prices.”

“Lower yours first,” Rey ground out, jumping out of her chair. “You come in here thinking that you can intimidate me into sleeping with you by making it impossible to pay you. You are either an idiot or think much too highly of yourself if you thought that was ever going to work. I’ll pay you your damn $20,000 and laugh about it the whole time!”

Kylo Ren looked at Rey like she’d grown a second head and she thought maybe it had been a long time since he’d had a talking down. There was a look of wonder, followed by unmistakable lust -- an expression Rey knew all too well, before his face was stony again. “Lower your prices or my men will go elsewhere.”

“No,” Rey answered. “I’ll lower my prices only when you lower yours first.” She knew what a dangerous game she was playing. If Kylo’s men really did go elsewhere, there was no way she would be able to make a $20,000 payment.

“This is not up for negotiation, Rey,” he ground out. She could tell he was angry, could see his fist clenching and unclenching at his side and Rey wondered if he was tempted to hit her.

“Everything is up for negotiation in business,” Rey replied carefully. “Or are you not a businessman, Mr. Ren?”

“You know what kind of business I run,” he strode towards her menacingly and as much as Rey wanted to be brave, she found herself collapsing back into her chair. “One where I can just take whatever I want.”

She refused to meet his eyes as he leaned over her, trapping her in the chair by placing his hands on each of the arm rests. He nudged her legs open with his knee and stood between them. “Look at me,” he demanded and Rey forced herself not to cower as she raised both her eyes and her chin.

“What?” she spat.

“Are you afraid of me?” he smirked, noting the way she trembled in her chair.

“No more so than any other man,” Rey said, and it was true. Yes, she was afraid of Mr. Ren. The same way she was always afraid of men and she was acutely aware of how easy it would be for him to wrap his hand around her throat and just squeeze…

Kylo Ren stepped away, and Rey wondered if he was angry at being compared to other men. He moved around the desk, and Rey didn’t exhale the breath she’d been holding until his back was turned towards her. She didn’t want him to know how truly scared she’d been and she balled her hands up on her lap to keep them from shaking.

Once he was on the other side of the desk, he turned his attention back to her. “I’ll lower your protection fees. Under one condition…”

Rey’s fear was quickly replaced with anger. “I told you, I’m not going to sleep with you so if that’s what you’re after, you can take your offer and shove it up--”

“Dinner. Just dinner, Rey,” Kylo offered, an amused expression on his face. Rey couldn’t discern what was so amusing about their interaction. Under normal circumstances, she prided herself on being able to read people -- it was an easy skill to pick up when you constantly met people who were at their absolute worst. But Mr. Ren was a whirlwind of emotion and she couldn’t get a grip on what he was feeling or thinking.

“Just dinner?” Rey asked, raising an eyebrow. Just dinner was rarely ever just dinner, she knew. And Mr. Ren had made no effort to hide the fact that he wanted her body. “You expect me to trust that it will be just dinner when you just told me you can take what you want?”

He looked at her intensely for a moment and Rey knew he was holding back another angry outburst but it seemed this time he had the decency to think through what he wanted to say before saying it. “It’s true that I could just take what I want.” There was a shrug as he stepped closer to the edge of his desk and raised his hand towards Rey, then dropped it as though he was not sure what he expected from the gesture. He drummed his fingers against the top of the desk, not looking at Rey as he continued, “But it has been a long time since I have wanted something as much as I want you.”

Rey froze in her chair, her hands still on her lap as she looked at him with wide eyes. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to say. She wanted to point out that there was nothing so remarkable about her that she should have caught his attention in such a way. There were prettier girls here, more charming ones. Her body wasn’t as sexy and curvy as Rose’s, or as slim and cute as Kaydel’s. She had no charisma, no education. She was nothing and nobody, so why didn’t he see that?

“So I’ll wait,” he finally said.

“Wait for what?” Rey could almost cringe at how meek her voice sounded.

“Until you want me back,” he shrugged and headed towards the door before Rey could argue that it would never happen. “I’ll have my driver pick you up at 8 tonight.”

And then he was gone and Rey leaned back in her chair and sucked in a deep breath of air as she grumbled to herself, “I never said yes.”

But of course, the answer was yes. She could spare a few hours of her time if it meant saving ten thousand dollars. And then there was the free food. Hopefully expensive food. She’d order lobster and steak and if that didn’t turn Mr. Ren off, she wasn’t sure what would.

*****

Rey was cycling through the three dresses she owned, trying to figure out which one would work best -- the floral one she’d stolen from a department store sales rack, the black one she’d worn to Maz’ funeral or the skimpy bodycon one that Maz had given all of the girls (the one that screamed hooker). 

Rose had offered to loan her a pretty silvery one, but the bust had been too large and Rey knew that it would be apparent she was wearing another woman’s clothes so she’d gracefully turned down the offer. 

She was in the middle of trying on the black dress for the third time when Finn’s head popped into the room. “You got a package.”

Rey finished unzipping the dress and let it fall to the floor before crossing the room towards Finn. His eyes floated up to the ceiling and Rey had to roll her eyes at his sense of propriety in a whore house. Nudity was like breathing here and after two years of working for Maz, one would think that Finn would be used to it. “Thanks,” she grinned, taking the box from him and glancing down at the Neiman Marcus logo on the front.

She already knew who had sent it before even opening the box. No one had sent her anything before she’d met Mr. Ren and she’d already received two gifts from him in a span of twenty-four hours. She set the box on her bed and undid the ribbon before lifting the lid and pulling out the shoe box to tissue paper, which she promptly ripped open to reveal a silky slip dress.

She snorted at the irony of gifting a white dress to a prostitute but the joke fell from her lips as she lifted it from the box by its delicate straps. She’d never owned something so pretty before and, without even thinking about it, she stood up and whipped off her bra before slipping it on. “What do you think?” she asked, turning to look at Rose and Finn.

“You look beautiful,” Finn told her awkwardly, and Rey knew it was because of her willingness to strip down at the drop of a hat.

Rose, meanwhile, was on her old smartphone and looked up at Rey with wide eyes, “That’s a thousand dollar dress.”

“It is not,” Rey rolled her eyes. Mr. Ren was rich, but he wasn’t about to drop a grand on a prostitute. She hadn’t even charged that much for a full night’s company and that was when she’d actually slept with men for money. Her jaw dropped when she looked down at Rose’s phone to see that the dress was actually $1,198.

“Who is it from?” Rose asked snoopily, grabbing the shoebox and opening to reveal a pretty pair of white strappy stilettos. “I didn’t know you had a sugar daddy.”

“I don’t,” Rey mumbled, grabbing the shoes away and closing the lid. “He’s… a business partner.”

“That mafia guy?” Finn asked. “K.R. is Kylo Ren?” He shook his head and looked at Rey in such a condescending way that she almost wanted to smack him as he continued, “You can’t go out with that guy. He’s dangerous.”

“I know who he is,” Rey snapped. She wasn’t the idiot that Finn was trying to make her out to be. She knew how dangerous Kylo Ren was and that she should not be going on a date with him. But Rey also couldn’t tell Rose and Finn that they were already in deep with the mob because she had killed Unkar Plutt -- that was a secret that she would take to the grave with her. “It’s a business dinner.”

“Uh-huh,” Finn said. “That’s why he’s buying you expensive clothes? He just wants dinner?”

Rey clenched her jaw and fought back her angry tears. Of course he wanted more than dinner, Rey wasn’t stupid. No man would ever want her for anything more than that, but that didn’t make it hurt any less when someone rubbed it in. “Who cares that he wants more than dinner?” she spat angrily. “In case you’ve forgotten, Finn, I’m a whore.”

Finn’s face fell and Rey knew that the tears must be visible now because he backtracked quickly, “Rey, I didn’t mean-”

“Forget it,” Rey said, gathering up her boxes and shoving past Finn. “I have a date to get ready for.” She stomped towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

Outside, she heard Finn speaking to Rose in a low voice, “I thought she was done with… you know…”

*****

Rey felt sufficiently stupid now, as she followed the hostess into the dining room of Del Posto, the most expensive Italian restaurant she’d ever been to. She was way out of her league in a place like this and couldn’t help feeling angry at Kylo Ren.

What kind of idiot brought a hooker to a place like this? And to add insult to injury, he’d had to dress her up to do it because of course someone like her wouldn’t have proper attire for such a classy restaurant.

She froze in her spot as the waitress escorted her to a private table on the second floor -- one that overlooked the other diners on the ground floor, a perfect position for a man of power. Kylo Ren rose from his chair and Rey had to admit that he looked good in his dark suit.

“Rey,” he said, and his voice was deep and sensual. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

Rey was tempted to say that she shouldn’t have but it must have taken some humility on his part to admit that he was worried whether she would show. “Hmm,” was all she said as she plopped down in her chair childishly and let him push it in.

He leaned down towards her from his spot behind her chair and whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”

Rey blushed, unable to recall anyone ever calling her beautiful. Hot, sexy, fuckable -- yes. But beautiful had to be a first. She shook her head, pushing away those thoughts. He was only saying what he needed to say to get what he wanted, which at the end of the day, was exactly what every man wanted. “A white dress? Really?”

He sat in his own chair with a smirk and a shrug. “What’s wrong with white?”

She rolled her eyes and didn’t bother answering as she looked around the table. If he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with dressing her in white, he was hopeless. “Where’s the menu?”

“There is no menu,” he said, unfolding his napkin and placing it in his lap.

“No menu? Isn’t this a restaurant?” she raised an eyebrow as she watched him carefully for what to do. She picked up her own napkin and placed it on her lap.

“They have set course meals. Don’t worry, you’ll love it,” he told her as he motioned for the waitress to bring the antipasti and first wine pairing.

Rey wanted to argue as the waitress set a plate of some kind of decadent stuffed artichoke in front of her and her hand twitched as she tried to figure out which of the forks she was supposed to use. The little one? Or was that one for desserts?

“Start with the outside and work your way in,” he said with a low voice, picking up his salad fork to demonstrate.

“I knew that,” she grumbled, lifting the fork and stabbing a piece of artichoke. She did not, but at least she was grateful that Mr. Ren wasn’t being a total ass about her lack of social skills. She took a great bite and groaned around her fork, “Oh my god.”

“Good?” he laughed as he picked at his own artichoke.

She nodded enthusiastically. She’d never in her life tasted anything like this and almost felt foolish for thinking that the Olive Garden was the pinnacle of Italian cuisine. Endless breadsticks could suck a dick because whatever this meal precursor was, it was far superior. “Can we order more of this?” she asked with her mouthful.

“I don’t think so,” he said, but slid the rest of his artichoke onto her plate. “Here.”

Rey wanted to argue, but she wasn’t about to say no to something that tasted so good. It seemed as though as soon as she finished her antipasto and took a sip of wine, another course was being placed in front of her. 

She was focused solely on her food because she wasn’t sure when or if she’d ever eat this well again, so she was glad that Mr. Ren was leading the conversation so all she had to do was nod along or make the odd comment here or there as she ate her food.

He was in the middle of regaling her with a story of how his cat had climbed a tree and three of his men had climbed said tree to retrieve the cat, “But then Mr. Binx jumped down from the tree and all three of them were too afraid to climb back down so I had to call the fire department in the end anyway.”

It was a funny story, Rey had to admit, and that led her to thinking about how she was actually kind of having a good time. And even stranger than that, she had to wonder if this was what a real date felt like -- the food, the conversation… a developing attraction.

No. No, no, no. Rey shook that thought away almost as quickly as it formed. She was not developing an attraction to Mr. Ren. As nice as the evening had been, she needed to remember who he was and what he wanted. He wasn’t a charming man, despite the flow of the evening. He had tried blackmailing her into sleeping with him. He had come to her office to intimidate her. AND he hadn’t even properly asked her out on this date… thingy.

She was still thinking about all of that as he took her arm and led her outside to where his driver was waiting, refusing to think too much about how good he smelled as he draped his suit coat over her bare shoulders. She hadn’t thought to bring a coat, not that she would have had anything appropriate. “Goodnight,” she told him as he opened the car door for her.

“Rey, wait.” When she turned to him, he almost looked nervous for a minute. “Can I kiss you?”

“No,” Rey said immediately, shaking her head. Just dinner. That was all this was. No kissing, no romance, no sex. Dinner between two begrudging business partners, and that was it.

Kylo had the nerve to laugh at her response, but didn’t push the subject any further. “Then can we have dinner again?”

Rey thought about it for a moment. This hadn’t been the worst way to spend an evening, not that she’d admit it was possibly the best evening she’d ever had. For a few brief hours, she’d almost felt like a normal woman in her twenties and not… who she actually was. The fact remained that spending too much time in his company was not wise, but she was allowed to enjoy herself every once in a while. She left him hanging for several seconds before answering, “Okay.”

“Good. Great. I’ll let you know when,” he said, and she couldn’t help but note that he sounded almost excited as she climbed into the backseat of the car. “Goodnight.”

As soon as he closed the door and stepped back onto the curb, the car was pulling away, and Rey turned to look over her shoulder as he grew smaller in the rear window. Mr. Ren was not a good man, but Rey wasn’t a good woman either. She could hold many things against him, but at the end of the day, he was good company. She refused to be his lover, but companionship and possibly even friendship could stay on the table. Couldn’t they?

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a lot of fun writing this fic and I just really like this Rey <3 Leave me some comments, kudos and make sure to [follow me](https://twitter.com/jeeaysee0925) on Twitter (my followers helped pick out Rey's dress for this chapter!)


	3. A Changed Opinion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kylo's gift for Rey this chapter:  
> [](https://ibb.co/P93vtWb)

Chapter 3

Rey did the same thing she always did when she had a lot on her mind -- bake. Although it was well past two a.m., Rey found herself unable to turn off all of the thoughts tumbling around in her head. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had her tossing and turning in bed when there was just so much to worry about. There was the constant matter of making sure that they had not only enough money to survive, but enough to pay Kylo every month as well.

If worrying about money wasn’t enough of a burden, Rey was also worried about Rose. Her oldest and closest friend was drifting away and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rose was falling in love and Rey was happy for Rose, she really was, but it also felt like everything was changing. Deep down, Rey knew it was only a short matter of time before Rose would be moving on from Natur’elle.

The signs were all there -- Rose walked around on clouds after spending an evening with “Armie” as she called him. She was always recounting things he’d said to her or jokes he’d told. Rey had even taken to sleeping in Maz’ old room because the one she shared with Rose was often occupied by Rose and Armie and their amorous acts well after when customers normally left. Part of Rey was weary about the idea of falling in love with clients -- something that Maz had warned them about more times than Rey could count -- but it was hard to care when Rose was so happy.

Then, at the forefront of her mind was Kylo Ren and her relationship with him. He’d made it clear that he wanted her, going as far as insisting that he would have her, and it terrified Rey. She’d encountered that kind of obsession in Unkar Plutt but that wasn’t the only reason that she felt so scared about Kylo’s declarations. She could protect herself physically -- she’d proved that much -- but she had no idea how to go about protecting her heart. She only knew that she needed to, because for as much as she’d denied Kylo a proper date or even a kiss, she couldn’t deny that she had enjoyed her evening with him. 

And now, several days after the fact, she found herself laying in bed thinking about the way the corners of his eyes wrinkled when he laughed or how genuinely interested he was in anything that she’d said or how he’d gone out of his way to make sure she was well fed.

Rey had never been on a date -- she’d told herself that dates were for normal girls. Someone like her, whose virginity had been sold off to the highest bidder, would never know love. She’d had sex more times than she could count but had never made love. This was her lot in life and Rey had been content enough just having a roof over her head and food in her belly.

Then Kylo came storming in and he’d given the worst possible first impression -- he’d demanded money and her body -- but the evening she’d spent with him proved there was another side.

She tried to tell herself that she’d had such a nice time because the food was good or because she’d felt like a normal girl for once in her life, but then how did she explain all the random moments throughout her day when she thought of Kylo’s horrendous laugh or the way he talked too enthusiastically with his hands or that weird way he sat with his feet pigeon-toed? All things that should have gone unnoticed but that Rey found herself feeling oddly enamored with.

There were more important things that Rey needed to be focused on -- her inherited business for one. Kylo may have agreed to lower his protection money, but the fact of the matter remained that she still needed to pay him. Additionally, she needed to pay the girls as well. Maybe figure out a way to buy them some new clothes. And then there was the matter of the espresso machine that needed to be replaced -- they still needed to maintain the front of a legitimate cafe after all. (Not to mention that she was having trouble stomaching the disgusting bodega coffee that Finn kept bringing her).

Rey sighed and used her forearm to push a stray strand of hair out of her face and then went back to rolling out her dough on the counter -- she’d found a recipe for cinnamon rolls and since she obviously wasn’t getting any sleep tonight, there was no better time to test out the recipe. No interruptions, no bullshit -- just the satisfying process of creating something delicious with her own two hands.

She was so caught up in what she was doing that she almost didn’t hear the door to the cafe open. Straining her ears, she listened closely, wondering how someone managed to get in through the locked door. Rey grabbed her rolling pin and inched towards the door, raising it above her head to strike at the intruder.

“A rolling pin? Really?” came Kylo’s chiding voice as he slipped quietly into the kitchen and snatched it easily from where she’d been holding it, ready to strike.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped, giving him a glare. She refused to admit that she’d been scared. There had been a brief moment of panic where she wondered if this would be another Unkar Plutt situation. She’d killed once before and she would prefer not to do it again.

“I’m looking for Hux,” Kylo replied as if that explained why he was breaking and entering in the middle of the night. He gave her a once over, frowning at the state of her dirty and frayed pajamas.

Rey didn’t want to be embarrassed by the state of her pajamas -- but it was hard not to be. There was a large stain down the front where she’d spilled coffee and the bottoms were dirty and frayed because the pants were too long and dragged on the floor when she walked. She just wouldn’t give him a chance to comment on her clothes. “We’re closed,” Rey said and tried to shoo him out of her kitchen. “Next time call instead of breaking in.”

“I’ve got a key,” he said, holding it up.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she gave him a look that could kill a lesser man. “I didn’t give you a key.”

“You didn’t,” he agreed, but offered no further explanation. Not that he needed to -- Kylo Ren was the kind of man who got what he wanted, no matter how ridiculous the demand.

“Give it to me,” Rey said, holding out her hand. Demanding protection money was one thing, but carrying around a key like he owned the place was something else entirely. Maz left the business to her and if he thought he could just walk in and own the place, he had another thing coming to him.

Kylo seemed to notice that she was fuming, but he was unaffected, instead looking down his nose at her, “You’re paying me to protect you.”

“No,” Rey gritted her teeth, all pleasant thoughts she’d had towards Kylo disappearing at the condescension in his voice. “You’re blackmailing me.”

“Is that how it is?” Kylo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Rey answered, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s hush money and we both know it.”

“Maybe it was at first,” Ren agreed, using his forefinger to gently wipe a streak of flour from her cheek. “But I have personal interests in the business now.”

“It’s mine,” Rey growled, batting his hand away.

“You’re like a little kitten, you know that?” Kylo smirked. “Sweet and mewling until you bite the hand that feeds you.”

Rey blushed despite herself, shivering pleasantly at his words, but she refused to let him know his affect on her. “I want my key.”

“I don’t think so,” Kylo laughed. “In fact, maybe I should have one of my men here at all times. I’d hate to think that a rolling pin is your only line of defense.”

“You’re the only one we need protection from,” Rey spat, turning back to her cinnamon rolls so that she didn’t have to look at his stupid smug face a second longer.

“I helped Maz dispose of a body when one of your girls got greedy and messy,” Kylo argued, stepping closer to her and lifting a piece of hair off her neck and twirling it around his finger, and Rey fought the second shiver of the evening. “If it weren’t for me the police would be knocking on the door.”

“Greedy?” Rey asked incredulously, her fists balling at the implication that she’d killed Plutt for money. She whirled around and pointed her finger, poking him hard in the chest to punctuate each of the following words that fell from her lips, “You have NO idea what you’re talking about.” 

“You’re the one who has no idea,” Kylo took a step towards her, backing her into the kitchen again and crowding her against the counter. “Maybe you should show a little more gratitude.”

“Gratitude?” She couldn’t believe the nerve of Kylo Ren. “I should be thanking you for running us dry, is that it? You have the nerve to accuse me of being greedy when you’re taking hush money? You’re taking food from the mouths of my girls!”

“I’ve got a business to run, Rey,” Kylo shrugged carelessly, as if Rey’s business and the comfort of her employees meant nothing to him.

“So do I!” she snarled and put her hands on his chest, shoving him away.

For a split second, she thought there was some kind of wonder on his face, almost an admiration, and Rey knew that it was because no one pushed around Kylo Ren. Almost immediately, however, he masked that sense of awe and replaced it with a cold glare. “Who do you think you’re dealing with here, Rey? Just because I’m soft on you doesn’t mean you get away with whatever you want.” 

Rey couldn’t remember ever giving such a childish scoff as she crossed her arms over her chest again. She was well aware that she was toeing a dangerous line, that Kylo had given her a subtle warning, and that if she knew what was good for her, she would close her mouth and stop pushing back. But that just wasn’t Rey. “I’m not just going to back down and give you whatever you want.”

A smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth and he took a step towards her. She refused to ease off, glancing away from him with an expression that was somewhere between a glare and a pout. He took her chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him. “I know,” he told her gently and it looked like he wanted to say more but he bit his tongue as he gazed down at her. There was a passing moment and Rey thought that she could tell what he was thinking -- that he liked when she pushed back.

“I have to look out for my girls,” Rey grumbled, refusing to acknowledge the soft look he was giving her and the fact that a part of her wished he’d just lean down and kiss her pout away. Nope. She wouldn’t spare a second thought on that and especially not when he thought that she’d killed Plutt over money.

“What’s going on here?” a voice called from the doorway. 

Kylo’s hand fell from her face and he stepped away, turning to look at the interloper in the conversation. “Hux.”

Rey rolled her eyes, of course Rose’s Armie was the ‘Hux’ that Kylo had been looking for. The ‘client’ Rose had been spending so much time with, the one she was always chatting about, the one who should have been gone hours ago because there was no way he’d paid the fee for a whole night with Rose. Rey sighed.

“I heard yelling,” Hux explained and Rey noticed that his hand was on a gun in the holster on his hip. 

Rey’s nostrils flared and she was about to open her mouth and unleash on Hux for not only bringing a gun into her establishment, but also for the menacing way that he was handling it -- as if she was the enemy. 

Kylo cut her off, however, and told his associate, “I was just having a lively discussion with Rey here.”

“Out!” Rey barked, pointing to the door. “And as for you Hux, I want the full nightly fee for Rose.” She held out her hand.

“But…” Hux began and Rey narrowed her eyes, daring him to claim that it was a date or that he’d already paid.

“What excuse are you going to give me that Rose isn’t worth the money?” Rey spat and she knew she was being petty. She wanted to shame Hux in front of his boss, to make it clear that she wasn’t playing games. Maybe Rose would be mad if she knew that she was doing this -- maybe it had been a date and they’d had an agreement that no payment was necessary. Maybe Rose was starting to feel dirty for taking money from Hux.

But Rey wasn’t Rose. Hux’s money was Kylo’s money and she had no problem taking it.

She held out her hand expectantly, tapping her foot as Hux pulled out his wallet and slapped a beautiful stack of ten hundred dollar bills into it. She knew he wouldn’t argue if she personally brought Rose into it. “Pleasure doing business with you,” she sent him a very phony smile. “Now leave.”

Kylo smirked, and she hated that he seemed to be amused by the whole scene. “Goodnight, Kitten.”

Rey couldn’t help the blush or the release of endorphins at the nickname and she wished she’d done anything but stare dumbly as he closed the door behind himself on his way out. By the time she finally shook herself out of her nickname induced trance, she found herself stomping to her office, intent on finding a locksmith that would come change the locks at three o’clock in the morning.

*****

Rey stretched like a cat and glanced over at her clock, rolling back into her pillow to stifle a yawn. It was already two in the afternoon and while she had the excuse of pulling an all-nighter, she knew that she couldn’t just laze around in bed all day. She still felt so tired, and as she threw the covers off, she was struck with an uncanny feeling that someone had been in her room.

When she sat up, the first thing she noticed was the box at the end of her bed, and she wondered when it got there. Had she been sleeping so hard that someone had slipped in unnoticed and left it there? There was a lingering scent of cologne that Rey recognized -- Kylo Ren had been in her bedroom.

She crawled to the edge of her bed, already knowing the package was from him and she knew she must be sneering at it. She’d known Kylo for mere days and he seemed convinced that he could buy her with a few gifts. Well, he had another thing coming. In fact, if she was smart, she’d just send it back without ever even opening it. Or better yet, take it back to where he’d bought it and pocket the money for herself. She snorted in delight just thinking about the possibility of paying him off with his own money that he’d used to shower her with gifts.

And yet, she didn’t think twice as she took the lid off of the box. Inside, on top of the tissue paper, there was a card that simply said: For my little kitten.

Rey blushed and tossed the card off her bed. On second thought, she leaned over, picking it up and tucking it into the drawer of her nightstand, refusing to think about the implications of keeping it. 

She turned back to the box, ripping open the pretty tissue paper and blinking at the rosy colored silk. Real silk. Rey wiped her hands on her pajama pants, almost afraid to touch the delicate fabric, and lifted it carefully out of the box. She couldn’t help but smile at such a pretty thing -- a long silken robe trimmed in real chantilly lace. 

Quickly, she discarded her pajamas by tossing them across the room and wrapped her nude form in the robe. She skipped across the room, tying it at the waist as she came to a stop in front of the full length mirror. The smile on her face was unbidden but she couldn’t help it -- she looked pretty.

Rey wasn’t vain and had never considered herself a beauty -- she was pretty in a plain kind of way at best. But with her tousled hair and the ornate robe, she felt beautiful and sexy and like someone could actually want her and not just a warm body.

She did a coy pose followed by a twirl and it was only then that she noticed Kylo Ren standing in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee and smiling as he watched her.

“Do you like it?” he asked with a gentle smile.

Rey blushed at having been caught and crossed her arms in order to cover her chest. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“I thought you’d still be sleeping,” Kylo admitted. “I was just going to bring you a coffee for when you woke up seeing as that stuff your security guy had was awful.” He at least had the decency to look somewhat sheepish as he offered her the cup of coffee. “I would have knocked otherwise.”

“Why bother?” Rey grumbled, snatching the cup from his hand. “You just go wherever you want anyway.”

She hadn’t really meant it as a joke, but Kylo chuckled all the same. There was a beat of silence before he added, “You look beautiful, Rey.”

Rey hid her blush by taking a sip of the coffee and looked over at the box, giving a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Too beautiful,” he continued, taking a step towards her and grabbing a piece of the silk between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing back and forth as if testing just how silky the fabric was. “I hope you’ll only wear it like this for me.” He tugged on the fabric, pulling her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I don’t want anyone else to see you this lovely.”

Rey blushed and tried to squirm out of Kylo’s hold, “I doubt Rose would be as impressed.”

Her squirming did nothing to break his hold, in fact, it only succeeded in Rey rubbing her chest against his, her nipples hardening against the silk. Her nerves felt on fire at the contact and she found the need to distance herself from him decreasing. “You know what I mean, Rey,” he admonished in a low voice and with one arm wrapped around her waist, he used the other hand to tilt her chin to look up at him.

When had she started panting? Rey wondered and silently told herself it was from the struggle she’d been putting up, not from how nice it felt to be held in Kylo’s arms and pressed against him. And definitely not because his hand was sliding down to flatten against the curve of her ass. “Hmm?” She was so distracted thinking about how his lips were so close and she wondered what it would be like to be kissed gently and thoroughly by him.

“Please don’t wear it for another man,” he said, clearly feeling the need to spell out his wishes.

Rey blinked, “Another man?” She took a deep breath and pushed away, “I already told you I don’t do that anymore.” She didn’t want there to be a pout because she didn’t like what that implied. Why should she care if Kylo thought that she was sleeping with someone else? He was just a friend at best and a business partner at the very least.

“I know,” Kylo said, clearly sensing that she was about to be upset. “I just…” He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’m trying here, ok?”

“Trying what?” Rey asked, feeling confused. He was clearly pent up or frustrated about something but Rey couldn’t for the life of her understand why he would be feeling that way in this conversation. She was just a nobody whore.

“I don’t know!” he cried and started pacing, “I just want you to myself. I want to take you away from this little shithole you call a room…”

“Hey!” Rey cried indignantly. “It’s better than the one I shared with Rose. This one at least has a bed frame.”

Kylo didn’t look happy with her reasoning, but he smartly didn’t comment, instead deciding on, “Let me take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself,” Rey informed him, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her nose up.

Kylo looked torn between being amused by her and frustrated at the situation. “You are so damn stubborn, kitten.” He stepped closer and although Rey stepped back, only a few seconds passed and she was back in his arms. 

Her folded arms kept them at a distance, and Rey was glad their chests were no longer pressed together so she didn’t have that added distraction when she informed him, “If you didn’t charge me hush money, maybe I’d be able to afford some curtains or to patch the holes in the walls.”

“I had a deal with Maz, Rey,” Kylo warned.

“Maz is gone,” Rey pointed out.

“How do you think it will look to my men if I just soften up and let you stop paying?”

Rey shrugged and found her arms relaxing as she tugged insolently at Kylo’s necktie, “Can’t look any worse than it would if my girls saw me bending over for the man who is robbing us blind.”

Kylo growled and caught her wrists, “Why won’t you just let it go?”

“Because it matters to me,” Rey said, her own temper flaring now that Kylo’s was making itself known. “You say you want to take care of me, but you don’t. You want to keep me.”

“That isn’t true,” Kylo argued but he didn’t get far before Rey cut him off.

“It is,” Rey insisted, yanking her wrists away from him. “You act like this place is so awful, but it’s my home. These girls are the only family I have ever known and you have no problem taking our money. Maybe if I had that extra ten grand a month, the girls wouldn’t have to sleep on mattresses on the floor. You come in here and insult my home and my family and then treat me like I’m your property.”

“I have never thought of you as my property, Rey,” Kylo said through gritted teeth.

“No?” she asked, disbelief soaking the simple one-worded question.

“No,” Kylo insisted. “If I thought of you as my property, you would be in my bed as we speak.”

Rey flushed at the tone of his words, “So then you think you’ve been respectful? Breaking in, taking my money, showering me with gifts…”

“You seem to like the gifts just fine,” Kylo pointed out.

“That’s beside the point. I’ve never had anything nice of my own. It’s the novelty but at the end of the day, I’ll end up sharing this with Rose or Kaydel or…”

“No,” Kylo insisted. “It’s yours.”

Rey wanted to laugh. What belonged to her, belonged to all the girls and maybe that was a concept that Kylo would just never understand. “Sure.”

“You’re infuriating, do you know that?” Kylo sighed. “I don’t know what to do or say to you…” Rey could practically feel the frustration dripping off of him.

“Then just go,” Rey said flippantly. “You know the one thing that I want and you refuse to give it to me.”

“Fine.”

Rey waited for him to leave, but he just stood there looking at her expectantly. After a full minute passed, she barked out, “What are you waiting for?”

“I said fine, didn’t I?” He snapped. “I won’t take any more money.”

Rey blinked, realization dawning on her. The ‘fine’ hadn’t been an acquiescence to leave, but rather an agreement to give her what she wanted. “You won’t?”

“No,” Kylo said, “But I have my own terms.”

Rey wrinkled her nose, “I’m not just going to hop into bed with you. I told you I don’t do that anymore.”

“Come here,” Kylo said, pulling her into his arms and before she even had a chance to protest, he was leaning down, sealing his lips against hers.

Rey thought to protest, opened her mouth to do so, but then his own lips parted and she felt dizzy enough to cling to his shoulders as his tongue soothed hers. She’d never been kissed like this -- only wet unpleasant kisses with too much spit and slippery tongues and bad breath. Kissing Kylo was a whole new experience that made her toes curl against the dirty floorboards.

Her fingers went from his shoulders, to his hair, and she hummed into the kiss as he sucked gently at her bottom lip. When they finally broke, Kylo held her close and buried his nose in the crown of her head, murmuring into her hair, “You don’t have to sleep with me now.”

Rey thought to be indignant at his assumption that it would happen eventually, but after such a kiss, Rey wondered if she’d want to actually deny him when the time came. She stayed silent, mulling over that train of thought before asking. “What do you want?”

“You, Rey. Just you. Have dinner with me, keep me company, let me take care of you.”

“That’s it?” Rey asked, having a hard time believing that it was so simple.

“That’s it,” he nodded. “And whenever you’re ready to be my lover…”

“What if I’m never ready?” 

Kylo seemed amused, as if he thought she was just asking the question to be obstinate, and didn’t bother answering her. “I should go now, kitten.”

“Okay,” she agreed and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask when she’d see him again, but her pride wouldn’t let her. She should just be thankful that he was out of her hair for a while and wouldn’t come sniffing around for money anymore.

“A kiss,” Kylo said, pulling her close and waiting patiently.

Rey blushed, but stood on her tiptoes to place a chaste kiss against his lips. “Bye,” she squeaked.

“Dinner tonight at 8. I’ll send Mitaka to pick you up,” Kylo informed her as he gave her one last lingering stare. “Beautiful,” he told her again before striding from the room.

Rey didn’t fight the smile once he was gone and she did another twirl in the nightgown -- maybe it was Kylo’s words or the kiss or the fact that he’d finally given in -- but nothing could shake the smile from Rey’s face.

In fact, she was still beaming when a few hours later, five bed frames were mysteriously delivered to the cafe. She was too tickled to care about what Kylo might want from her in return for such a generous gift.

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between chapters. I started a new job and that plus school is kind of kicking my butt this term. I am one week away from my final paper and I am hoping that next term I can balance things better to where I can update weekly. I really feel like writing fic is the only thing that keeps me sane this year XD
> 
> Anyway! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this edition of hot-headed idiots falling in love!


	4. An Argument Between Friends

_ Dinner at 8. _ Rey had been unable to think about much else beyond her dinner with Kylo for the entirety of the day. Now that he’d made his intentions clear -- not to mention the fact that they’d come to an agreement on their  _ arrangement  _ \-- Rey could no longer delude herself that this was not a date.

There was also the matter of that amazing kiss. Whenever Rey thought about it, her stomach exploded in butterflies. Perhaps most embarrassing was the moment that Finn had walked into her office to find her chewing a pencil and staring off into space as she thought about Kylo’s mouth. He’d had to say her name five times before she pulled herself out of her daydream.

Rey’s afternoon had been going pretty spectacularly -- between daydreaming about kissing Kylo and his surprise gift of several high quality bed frames for the girls. Until, that is, Rose had burst into her office.

“What the fuck, Rey?” the dark haired girl bellowed ferociously, stomping across the room towards where Rey was sitting at her desk pouring over the accounting books.

“Rose? What’s wrong?” Rey dropped everything and immediately stood, intent on comforting her friend. The look of pure anger on Rose’s face, however, made Rey freeze in place.

“What’s  _ wrong? _ ” Rose asked incredulously, stalking closer to Rey. “ _ YOU,  _ Rey. Hux told me what you did.”

Rose’s anger suddenly clicked for Rey. She’d done the stupidest possible thing by insisting that Hux pay her for sex with Rose. She knew that there was a possibility that Rose would find out, but her pride was keeping her from letting Rose guilt her for it. “I didn’t do anything wrong, Rose.”

Rose’s eyes went wide and then she narrowed them, “You really believe that?”

No, Rey knew what she’d done was wrong -- had known from the second that she’d insisted Hux open his wallet and pay up before leaving. But she couldn’t admit that to Rose. This was her business now and she needed to take responsibility for it. So instead of apologizing, she doubled down as she spoke carelessly. “Yes. If he was here spending time with you, he has to pay,” Rey explained, raising her chin at Rose.

“You  _ know _ it wasn’t like that!” Rose spat. “It wasn’t… It wasn’t just sex!”

Rey knew what she meant, and she hated that she had to say the next words, but knew that Rose needed to hear it. “We charge for sex, Rose. That’s what we do here.”

Rose’s cheeks reddened but Rey couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or indignation. “You  _ know  _ how I feel about him!”

“It doesn’t matter how you feel, Rose. He’s a client! I have a business to run and he has to pay!” Rey shot back. 

“Fuck you, Rey!” Tears filled Rose’s eyes as she continued. “I’m your friend. Not just some whore to use for money!”

“I never said you were,” Rey started to argue, desperately wanting to go to Rose and wrap her arms around her. Part of Rey felt so guilty that she’d charged Hux and she knew that she’d only done it to get a rise out of Kylo, as petty as it had been. She knew that going to Rose now would not be a welcome gesture -- they were too far gone to just hug and make up.

“You didn’t have to say it with words, Rey!” Rose shouted, pointing a finger at Rey. “You think you’re better than me now because you don’t fucking work for the money.”

Rey felt a chill go down her spine at Rose’s harsh words. Not once had she ever thought she was better than Rose and now her best friend was putting a spin on her trauma. She felt the first hint of anger seep into her blood and she narrowed her eyes at Rose. “You’re seriously going to throw that back at me? Fuck you, Rose. I’d be working still if I hadn’t been raped and choked within an inch of my life!”

Rose’s face fell, as if she’d just realized how harsh her words were, “Rey…”

“Get the fuck out, Rose,” Rey said through gritted teeth. “I’m  _ done _ with you.”

Rose looked like she was going to crumble and opened her mouth to say something, but it seemed the words wouldn’t come out. Not even an apology. Rey shoved past her, out of the office and stomped up the stairs to Maz’ old room, slamming the door shut behind her. For all Rey cared, Rose could crawl into a hole and die.

*****

Rey spent the first hour in her room, pacing and growling curses at Rose beneath her breath. For Rose’s part, she was smart enough to give Rey space to cool down, but Kaydel and Jessica had both tried to play mediator. That hadn’t ended well for either girl and they were both still recovering from the verbal lashing Rey had unleashed at them for “not minding their own goddamn business”.

The following hour, Rey had tried her hardest not to break down in tears -- she refused to cry over this. Always so quick to act on her anger, Rey found that once it melted away, she was left with guilt and sadness. The last thing she’d wanted to do was hurt Rose, and that was exactly what she’d done. A good friend would have been happy for her and Rey had done nothing to support Rose. Did she think it was stupid to fall in love with a client? Absolutely. But if anyone deserved love, it was Rose.

At 8 o’clock on the dot, there was a knock on her bedroom door and Finn’s voice called hesitantly through the door, “Rey? Uh, Mr. Mitaka is here to pick you up.”

Rey bolted up in bed. In the aftermath of her blowout with Rose, she’d completely forgotten her dinner date with Kylo -- not that she was much in the mood for it anymore. She tripped over her blankets in her haste to get out of bed and rushed to the mirror, her mouth falling open in horror. Her hair looked like a rat’s nest, her eyes were bloodshot, and she had absolutely nothing to wear to make herself look presentable. After a moment of hesitation, she called through the door, “I’m not going.”

She could hear Finn mumbling something to someone in hushed tones and a second voice called through the door, “Um, Miss Rey? I really must insist…”

Rey pulled the door open and glared at the man she recognized as Mitaka. “Look at me. Do you think there is a chance in hell that I’m going to have dinner at some fancy restaurant like this?”

Mitaka looked horrified by her appearance but wisely chose not to comment directly on it. “I assure you that Mr. Ren won’t mind. He’s more than-”

“ _ I _ mind,” Rey informed him. “There’s no way I’m going to let all those hoity toity judge me.”

“Then you’ll be happy to know that Mr. Ren’s plans for this even are far more casual than last time,” Mitaka interrupted to explain.

Rey pursed her lips before asking, doubt in her voice, “No fancy restaurant?”

“No, Ma’am.”

“I can go just like this?” Rey asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. She found it hard to believe that Kylo Ren would be caught dead anywhere with someone who looked like her. 

He nodded eagerly and Rey had a feeling that he would have said yes to just about anything to get her to come along. HIs job was making sure that Rey got there safely and he would probably lie to her face in order to get Kylo Ren what he wanted.

Rey shrugged, “Fine.” If Kylo was as shocked by her appearance as Mitaka had seemed, she’d let the valet take the blame. A vindictive part of Rey almost hoped that Kylo would be pissed by her holey sweatshirt and stained mom jeans. With that thought in mind, she followed Mitaka down the stairs and to the car.

Mitaka turned the radio on in the car and Rey was grateful for that welcome distraction -- she didn’t want to make small talk or think about her fight with Rose. When the car finally pulled up, not outside a restaurant, but a tall apartment complex, Rey wrinkled her nose in distaste. She had made it clear earlier that she had no intention of sleeping with Kylo and his first thought was bringing her to his apartment?

Mitaka opened her car door and for a full minute, Rey refused to exit the vehicle. The short man, for his part, did nothing but wait patiently. As Rey crossed her arms over her chest, she noticed the doorman hold the door open and Kylo stepped out in his impossibly impeccable suit.

“Rey,” he greeted, stooping down to push his head in the car. “Why are you just sitting here?”

“Your apartment? Really?” Rey spat, sounding grouchier than she’d intended. “I’m not going up there alone with you.”

He smirked, not put off by her sour mood in the slightest. He always seemed amused by her, and for some reason that irked her more than usual at the moment. “Not my apartment. Yours.”

Rey’s posture went from stiff to slack, her arms falling at her sides. “What?”

“It’s your apartment, not mine,” Kylo clarified. “Now come on.” He held out her hand for her to take.

Rey shook her head, “What are you talking about? You bought me an _apartment_?” Once again, and how it always seemed to be where Kylo was involved, Rey’s emotions were at war. She’d always shared a room both at Maz’ and before that at the group home she’d run away from and this was the first time she had something that could be considered hers. But, on the other hand, was it truly hers if Kylo had bought it? There would be nothing stopping him from coming around whenever he felt like it and that made it his. She hadn’t paid for it and therefore, it would never be _hers._ And a part of Rey resented him for trying to gift her something so extravagant.

“I didn’t  _ buy _ it,” Kylo pointed out. “I rented it. Come look. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to come back.”

She hated that he was so reasonable and crossed her arms childishly once more. “I don’t want to.”

“You promised me dinner, Rey,” Kylo pointed out. “If you take back your end of the deal, I’ll take back mine.”

Rey scowled, her nose scrunched and her eyebrows knitted as she glared at Kylo. The icing on the cake of her shitty afternoon would be for Kylo to end their agreement. “I’m not having sex with you,” she pointed out.

He laughed, “I know. You’ve made that clear to me several times today. Come on.”

As soon as Kylo had pulled his shoulders out of the vehicle, standing unbelievably tall once more, Rey scrambled to climb out after him. “I’m not going to stay long. Just dinner.”

Kylo rolled his eyes and leaned down, scooping Rey into his arms and then throwing her over his shoulder, holding her in place by the backs of her thighs. He laughed as she squealed and pounded her fists against his back. “Kylo, let me down!”

“Not until we get upstairs,” he told her, sternly.

“Put me  _ DOWN,” _ She hissed through gritted teeth as he walked her through the lobby, ignoring the stares of the other residents. “This is embarrassing!”

“Then stop being stubborn,” Kylo retorted as he climbed into the elevator and pushed the button for the 14th floor. As soon as the doors closed, he set her down gently, eyeing her cautiously. “Why are you in such a bad mood? You didn’t like my present earlier?”

Rey shrugged noncommittally and crossed her arms over her chest once more. She didn’t tell him how happy she was with the generous gift earlier, or about her fight with Rose.

When the elevator dinged, he guided her out by her shoulders and Rey was happy to note that at least he hadn’t sprung for a penthouse. He unlocked the door, then pulled the keyfob from the lock and handed it to Rey. “Yours. It’s the only key. If you were worried about me stopping by unannounced.”

She had no idea how he knew that was exactly what she’d been worried about, but she didn’t comment, clutching the key in her fist instead. “What’s the catch?”

“Why does there always need to be a catch with you?” Kylo asked, with a smirk and a shake of the head.

“Because there’s always a catch,” Rey said, as if the answer was obvious. “You should know that. You’re a mob boss, aren’t you?”

“Touche,” he grinned and opened the door. “After you.”

Rey stepped inside and blinked as she looked around. The apartment was not at all as extravagant as she’d expected from someone showy like Kylo -- one wall was made up entirely of glass, while the other three were exposed red brick. The living room and kitchen were joined and a small lofted area housed what she assumed was the bed. The furniture was all crisp whites and pale greens and the entire apartment was dotted with houseplants.

“Do you like it?” He asked, shuffling nervously.

“I do,” Rey answered, a note of incredulity in her voice. Downstairs, she’d imagined he’d rented some kind of gaudy penthouse with velvet furniture and crystal chandeliers. How had Kylo known that something like this would suit her tastes so much better?

“Good,” he said, and marched to the kitchen as if the conversation was already over. She followed after him, intent on grilling him or maybe even telling him that she could never stay here in his debt -- even if a small part of her had already fallen in love with the apartment. “I ordered Chinese. Is that ok?”

“Uh sure,” Rey agreed, distracted as her eyes caught sight of a beautiful new kitchenaid mixer on the counter.

“Ah, I noticed you were baking last night. Do you like it?” Kylo asked, leaning against the counter with a smug look.

“You know I do,” Rey shot back, giving him a look of distaste for his cocky attitude. But really, at the heart of the matter was the fact that she had a kitchenaid and no longer had to use the rusty old hand mixer. “I can really keep this?”

“Yes,” Kylo laughed, opening a container of lo mein and putting a generous amount on each plate.

“Thank you.” Her voice was quiet and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by the buildup of emotions throughout the day. Her fight with Rose had burdened her with anger and guilt and sadness and perhaps it was because she felt she didn’t deserve Kylo’s kindness that caused the damn to finally burst. 

Tears were leaking down her cheeks before she had a chance to even realize and Kylo dropped the spoon he was holding. “Shit. What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice slightly panicked.

“Nothing,” Rey shook her head and tried futilely wiping the tears from her face.

Kylo dropped everything and walked towards Rey. When he stopped in front of her, he cupped her face in both hands and said gently, “It doesn’t look like nothing.”

Rey could almost laugh, if she weren’t already crying -- seeing a big scary monster like Kylo treat her so gently was humorous in it’s unexpectedness. If only the world could see him like this -- taken down a peg by a crying woman. “It is nothing. Nothing important.”

“If it makes you cry, it  _ is _ important,” he insisted. “What happened? Did I do something wrong?”

She shook her head, “It’s not you.” After a sniffle, she added, “I had a fight with Rose.”

“Is she one of the girls?” Kylo asked, using his thumbs to wipe away Rey’s tears.

She sniffed again and nodded, “Yeah. My best friend.”

“What did you fight about?”

Rey shook her head at his question. She couldn’t tell him because then she’d have to admit that she’d only charged Hux to piss Kylo off. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Would you stop saying that? It is a big deal,” he insisted. “It’s a big enough deal that you are upset by it.”

“It was a stupid fight,” Rey said. “She’s the one who is seeing your red-headed guy.”

“Hux,” Kylo provided and then with a knowing look added, “Things are getting pretty serious between them, huh?”

Rey shrugged. “I don’t know. She thinks it’s serious. I don’t know anything about Hux.”

“Was the fight about the money you made him pay last night?” Kylo guessed.

Rey glared, “Maybe.”

Kylo laughed, “Oh, Rey.”

“What?” Rey grumbled defensively. 

“She’s upset that you essentially insisted that her boyfriend paid you for their night together,” Kylo answered. “Am I right?”

“Well, yeah. But he was a client before he was a boyfriend,” Rey argued.

“Can you understand why she’s upset?” 

“Yes. I don’t need a lecture about it, ok?” Rey shot back. The last thing she needed was a lesson on morals from someone who made a living stealing and killing.

“I’m not going to lecture you,” he promised, leaning down and placing a quick kiss on her forehead. “I just want to know why you did it.”

“I don’t know,” Rey mumbled, casting her eyes away. She knew part of the reason was that she’d wanted to stick one to Kylo, he must have known it as well -- but the way he was looking at her so intently made her feel as if he knew her reasons better than she did.

“Are you afraid that she’ll leave?” he asked carefully.

Rey’s eyes widened as she looked back at Kylo. She felt tears fill her eyes again as she contemplated the question. Was she that horrible that she would Rose didn’t deserve the life she’d been given, and Rey knew that, but she also didn’t want to let her best friend go. Begrudging Rose her happiness had never been Rey’s outright intention, but at the end of the day, that was exactly what she’d done. She’d been vindictive and mean and petty just so that she wouldn’t have to worry about being all alone.

“It’s okay,” Kylo said softly, pulling Rey into his arms as she began to cry again. “She won’t leave you if she decides to stop… working.”

Rey couldn’t lose Rose, she just couldn’t. She’d watched so many other girls come and go and Rose had been the one constant in her life the past few years. She was certain -- up until now with Kylo’s uncanny ability to pick her apart -- that Rose was the only person who would truly understand her. “She will. They always do.”

Kylo rubbed Rey’s back as she buried her face against his chest, ruining his nice shirt with her tears. “She won’t,” he insisted. “You just need to talk to her.”

“I can’t,” Rey shook her head, accidentally wiping her nose on the collar of his jacket -- if he noticed, he didn’t seem to mind. “We both said some horrible things to each other.”

“That doesn’t matter, Rey.”

“It does,” Rey said. “She won’t forgive me.”

“I’ll have Hux talk to her. Butter her up for you at first. But I have a feeling that she’s probably feeling pretty awful right now too.” Rey let Kylo step out of the embrace and he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before saying, “Dinner?”

Rey nodded and helped Kylo fill their plates in silence. She knew that he was probably right but there was a part of her that was still so angry about what Rose had said to her. Did all of the girls feel that way? Did they all think that she was just using what had happened to Plutt as an excuse to not have to sleep with men for money anymore? That thought hurt, especially coming from Rose, who had crawled into bed with her when she’d had nightmares over what had happened. 

Rey sniffed again as Kylo carried their plates into the living room and once they were seated on the couch, he pulled her onto his lap. “Are you still upset, kitten?”

She nodded and picked at an eggroll on her plate, her appetite disappearing at the thought of Unkar Plutt. Eventually, she’d have to tell Kylo about what had happened… why she would never sleep with him. As infuriating of a man as he could be, Rey knew that he was far kinder than she originally gave him credit for and he deserved an explanation. Leading him on was unfair, but talking about Plutt was impossible. In the end, perhaps he’d just think she was a drama queen about the entire situation like Rose did.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, taking her plate and setting it aside. She shook her head and once the plate was no longer in the way, Kylo pulled her into his arms again. “Let me take care of you,” he murmured against the crown of her head.

Rey closed her eyes, leaning against him, and thought that maybe it was okay to just let him hold her tonight. He didn’t know about the awful thing she’d done and for now, at least, he didn’t think any less of her. She’d never been taken care of like this before, never just held and kissed and cooed at for the sake of comfort.

Her intention hadn’t been to fall asleep at all, but there was something in the way he was stroking her hair that made her eyes feel heavy. When she woke, several hours later, if the darkness in the apartment was anything to go by, Rey was lying in her bed. 

“Kylo?” she whispered as she shook away the sleep.

“I’m here, kitten,” he whispered, pulling her close and Rey felt herself relax against him. She’d never shared a bed with a man before -- a realization that should have made her feel awkward and uncomfortable -- but as soon as she buried her nose against his collarbone, Rey felt sleep take hold once more.

*****

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've posted my update schedule on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jeeaysee0925) so follow me if you want to know when I plan on updating this fic (hint: it's very soon!)


	5. Gentle Love

Rey woke the next morning as the bright morning sunshine drew across the bed. As she opened her eyes, she remembered that she wasn’t on the floor next to Rose, nor was she in Maz’ old room. There, on the second floor of the building, the sunshine had always been blocked by surrounding buildings. 

She could hardly believe that Kylo had rented her an apartment of her very own, and while she knew his intentions were pure -- as pure as they could be for a murderous mob boss -- she was still torn over whether or not to keep it.

As she opened her eyes and blinked into the brightness of her bedroom loft, she drew back from the pair of arms that held her in place so that she could examine the man in question. In his sleep, he almost looked angelic. Gone were the wrinkles often set between his eyebrows and the frown that pulled at the corners of his mouth. If she was honest with herself, he was a handsome man, but asleep he looked younger and gentler.

  
She reached up, gently tracing a finger down his cheek, connecting each of the beauty marks dusting the left half of his face. His brows furrowed and he pulled her closer, muttering softly, “Sleep.”

She smiled, unsure if he was telling her what he was doing or demanding that she do the same. She wondered if he was even awake and the thought that he was just mumbling in his sleep was the cutest thing she could imagine in her half-awake state. “You call me a kitten, but you’re just a big old pussy cat.”

Kylo didn’t reply, confirming that he was asleep, but he did pull her flush against his body and huffed a breath that blew Rey’s hair from her forehead. 

At the realization that she was perfectly content to just continuing lying there in his arms, Rey blinked. Just days before, she’d considered this man her mortal enemy and now she was sharing a bed with him. He’d been so completely confident that she would eventually sleep with him and now she could see why.

She suddenly didn’t like the position she was in, physically and emotionally, and tried to free herself from Kylo’s embrace. The frown made an instant reappearance on his sleeping face, complete with wrinkles between his eyebrows, and his arm tightened around her. Her first reaction, again, was how cute his reaction was. Since when did she find every little thing about him endearing?

With a bit of maneuvering, she was able to lift his arm and fit a pillow under it in her place before crawling out of bed. Her feet hit the fluffy rug next to the bed and she hovered quietly over him, taking a moment to really examine big bad Kylo Ren as he drew the Pillow-Rey closer to him. 

At some point, she’d fallen asleep and not only had he carried her to bed but he’d tucked her in and stayed with her all night. And not once had he crossed any boundaries and tried to touch her. The entire notion was somehow too unbelievable -- this was a man who spent day in and out making ruthless, shady deals and now he was cuddling with a pillow in her bed.

She wanted to believe that he really just wanted to take care of her like he’d said, but why? Why would he want to take care of her when her own family hadn’t wanted to? And what was so special about her that caught his attention? She wasn’t beautiful or smart or charming. She wasn’t worthy of anyone’s attention. She was a prostitute, for crying out loud. A man could hardly bring her home to his mother.

She told her these things, not to provoke anger or pity at herself, but to protect what was left of her heart. For now, she was Kylo’s play thing, but perhaps he had a dozen other play things. He would grow tired of her eventually and probably even violently angry at her if she didn’t have sex with him. And yet, there was a tiny part of her that wanted him to love her and take care of her, even if she didn’t deserve it. She didn’t know him well, but she saw glimpses of who he was and she liked that gentle, patient and understanding man. Maybe it was all an illusion but she was happy to play pretend if he was.

She crept down the stairs and padded to the kitchen and upon opening up the refrigerator, she was tickled to see it fully stocked. She pulled out several ingredients and pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt, measuring out ingredients carefully and running her mixer on low so as to not wake Kylo.

He’d seemed to go all-out in stocking the kitchen and within a half hour, she had a pan of blueberry muffins in the oven and a pot of coffee on. Feeling accomplished, she dusted off her hands and went to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower. She’d have to put her old clothes back on, but already made plans to bring over more clothes.

Accepting the gift of an apartment was something that hadn’t crossed Rey’s mind the night before. She had the full intention of turning down his offer once she’d satisfied his requirement of viewing what she was sure he considered a love-nest. But Rey had already fallen in love with the apartment and it  _ would _ be nice to have somewhere to hide away -- especially now that Rose was angry with her. Besides that, she’d already told herself that Kylo would eventually lose interest in her so she might as well enjoy the gifts he chose to give her now.

When she finished showering, she noticed another bathrobe on the back of her door, similar to the one he’d gifted her the day before, but this one was a pale green. She dried herself off and slipped into the robe, shivering as the silk slid smoothly over her skin -- she didn’t need Rose googling the price to know that this was an expensive robe. Choosing to ignore that fact, she went back to the kitchen and took the muffins out of the oven, plating them before they had a chance to cool too much.

In one hand, she held a plate with muffins and in the other, a cup of coffee. Carefully she climbed back up the stairs to her bedroom and paused at the foot of the bed to watch Kylo sleep. His mouth was open now, and though he didn’t appear to be a snorer, he was leaving a rather large puddle of drool on her pillow. 

Rey snorted and sat on the edge of the bed, calling softly, “Kylo.”

The cute creases reappeared between his eyebrows again and Rey had to fight back a grin as he opened his eyes. “Why are you awake?” he asked, his voice groggy. He pushed away the pillow he’d been cuddling and held out his arms as if he expected her to rejoin him. 

Rey was tempted, but didn’t move towards him. “I made you muffins and coffee.”

That seemed to pique his interest and he sat up in bed, holding his hands out for the proffered breakfast items. “For me?”

Rey nodded and watched as he picked up a muffin and peeled the paper back, before inhaling a large bite -- like everything else about him, his appetite was also large.

He took a drink of coffee and once he swallowed, he said, “You made these?”

“Yeah,” Rey nodded. “Is it okay?”

“Like from scratch?” he asked as he popped the second half of the muffin into his mouth.

“Mmmhmm.”

“Rey,” Kylo said. “These are good. Like seriously good.”

She blushed, “Well I make them a lot. They’re simple and even though the cafe is a front, people still come in expecting baked goods.” They were nothing special: baking had been her first job when Maz pulled her off the streets and she’d had years of practice before she’d been told it was time to work for her keep like the rest of the girls. Still, after so many batches, she’d perfected it. “The secret is a little cinnamon. It balances out the tartness of the blueberries,” she explained.

He looked at her like she’d grown a second head, “Why don’t you open a bakery?”

She gave him a look, “Because I’m not a baker.”

“But you like baking?” 

“Well, yeah but I didn’t go to school or train or anything like that. I just find cookbooks at the secondhand bookstore and modify them a bit,” she explained.

“These are really good,” Kylo said. “You could start a legitimate business, you know…”

Rey frowned, “I’m already running a business.”

“Well, yeah but you could--”

She shook her head. “All the girls rely on me.”

Kylo looked like he wanted to argue, but Rey was glad he had the sense not to push it. Instead, she watched him eat the other muffin on the plate and when he was finished, he put the plate aside and held out his arms again. 

Rey fought a laugh and shook her head, “I have work to do. I can’t sleep all day.”

“Just for a few minutes,” he countered and it was endearing how his voice was almost a whine.

“Don’t  _ you _ have work to do? Blackmail small business owners or make sure someone is sleeping with the fish?” Rey teased.

“Ha ha, funny,” Kylo shot back and grabbed her wrists, hauling her into him. Once they were chest to chest, Rey sprawled out over him on the bed, he leaned up and kissed her -- soft and sweet -- on the mouth and then asked, “Is that what you think I do all day?”

“Isn’t that what mob bosses do?” she asked, focusing on the question and not on how the kiss was making her whole face feel warm.

“Hmm, it’s a little more complicated than that,” he said, purposefully mysterious in his decision not to explain further.

Rey didn’t mind -- it was easier for her to like Kylo when she didn’t have to think about all of the horrible things he’d probably done. “Well shouldn’t you get to your complicated things?”

“Are you kicking me out?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“You can stay if you want. You paid for the apartment, but I should go,” she said, disentangling herself from him and standing from the bed.

He sat up on his elbows and watched as she collected his plate and cup. “You look beautiful, Rey.”

She blushed and pushed her damp hair behind her ear. Clearly, he was trying to sweet talk her. “I can’t stay. I really have to get back.” 

He climbed out of bed as she made her way down the stairs, and when she turned to look, he was trailing after her like a puppy dog, pouty face and all. “Can I see you tonight?”

Rey wanted to say yes but would that seem desperate to have dinner with him two nights in a row? Did last night even count since she’d ruined it by crying? Perhaps she owed Kylo another date for ruining their last one. “Okay,” she agreed as she packed the remaining blueberry muffins into a brown paper lunch bag.

“I’ll have Mitaka pick you up,” he said, pulling her close and leaning down for a kiss.

Rey, feeling suddenly shy, held the bag up towards him, effectively blocking him from kissing her. “You can take these.”

He seemed amused by her antics and took the bag, “Thank you, Rey.”

“Um, maybe you could give one to Hux for me. As an apology for charging him to be with Rose?” Rey suggested cutely.

“Of course,” Kylo promised, and quickly leaned in for a surprise kiss. “I’ll see you tonight, Kitten.”

Rey nodded, fighting a blush as she reached up to touch her lips. Kylo was too busy putting his shoes on to notice how flustered she seemed and she just waved stupidly as he left her apartment. 

Once Kylo was gone, she took her time cleaning up the kitchen. She was not looking forward to going back to the cafe and facing Rose. She’d said some horrible things to her best friend, and had  _ done _ the worst possible thing. Instead of being happy for Rose and the fact that she was in love, Rey had tried to ruin it all because she was afraid of losing her friend.

When everything was put away and Rey had changed back into her clothes, she knew she couldn’t wait any longer. She had to run numbers for last night and collect money from the girls. Plus, she still needed to finish putting together the bed frames Kylo had gifted her. 

She found the nearest subway station and took the train back to Cafe Natur’elle. Once she arrived, she decided to slip in as inconspicuous as possible to avoid confrontation. Eventually, she’d have to talk to Rose, but she’d give the other woman a chance to approach her first. If Rose didn’t want to talk to her, she wouldn’t force it so she thought that letting her friend make the decision would be easier.

Around noon, Rose finally popped into the office. Rey could feel her watching, but was too afraid to acknowledge her. Finally, Rose asked, “Where were you last night? We were worried.”

“I had dinner with Mr. Ren,” Rey answered, not looking up as she jotted numbers into the book. To others, it might seem as if she didn’t care to talk to Rose, but she was just too nervous to look up and see the anger on Rose’s face. She had to be angry still, Rey knew.

“You spent the night with him,” Rose corrected.

“No,” Rey argued. “Well, yes, but I didn’t  _ sleep _ with him.”

“You like him,” Rose pointed out. “If you want to sleep with him, you can.”

“No, I can’t,” Rey said stubbornly, not because she was refusing at this point, but because she was too scared. Rey felt like she’d spend the rest of her life being too scared. She couldn’t imagine ever feeling safe having a man over her grunting and thrusting and… she squeezed her eyes shut. No, she couldn’t sleep with Kylo or any other man. She  _ wouldn’t. _

“I’m sorry,” Rose said after a moment and Rey finally tore her eyes away from the old accounting book she’d been writing in. Rose had tears in her eyes and when her friend looked down at the floor, a tear rolled down her cheek. “I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean to bring up Plutt or to make light of what he did. I’m so sorry, Rey.”

Rey’s own eyes stung, “No. I deserved it, Rose. I was awful to you. I knew I did something awful and I was too stubborn to apologize.”

Rose rushed across the room and threw herself into Rey’s lap on the chair, wrapping her arms around Rey’s neck and wailing loudly. “Nooo, I took it too personally.”

“You didn’t!” Rey insisted. “I was awful to you, Rose. I was just afraid that you would go off with Hux and leave me behind.”

Rose sat back, a shocked look on her face and took Rey’s face in her hands giving her a stern look as she explained how stupid the idea was. “If I leave here, that’s not the same as leaving  _ you. _ You can’t get rid of me that easily, Rey!”

“The girls always say they’ll keep in touch and they never do.”

“I will. I will be here all the time bugging you to make me macarons. And you’ll roll your eyes and tell me they’re too much work but you’ll make them anyway and hide them for me to find.”

Rey laughed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Rose grinned and kissed Rey’s forehead. “Now tell me everything about Mr. Ren,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

*****

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short fluffy chapter this time! I will be posting my update schedule on twitter on Sunday, so [follow me](https://twitter.com/jeeaysee0925) if you want to stay up to date with when I'll post chapter 6. 
> 
> In the next chapter: Rey and Kylo have another date (it's gonna be a doozy of a date, ya'll)


	6. A Dinner Disaster

The day had passed in a blur once she’d made up with Rose. She’d heard all about Hux -- how gentle he was with Rose, how safe she always felt with him, how he’d made an effort to learn Vietnamese to impress her, and how he always found a way to hide a rose for her to find later. Rey had to admit that he seemed serious about Rose and as scared as she was that her best friend would leave her, Rey was happy for her. Rose deserved everything and if Hux could give that to her, then who was Rey to stand in the way?

There had been a brief interlude when Rey had made some macarons for Rose as a way of apology, and then the conversation had evolved from Hux to Mr. Ren. Rey had told Rose all about Kylo -- about how arduously he had been pursuing her and about the apartment that he’d bought her. How charming and funny he could be. 

“He doesn’t scare you at all?” Rose had asked with a hint of worry in her tone.

“Not at all,” Rey had assured her. “He’s got a cat named Mr. Binx that he’s obsessed with. His phone case is a picture of the damned thing.”

That had made Rose laugh, “So what you’re saying is he’s a big softie?”

“Pretty much,” Rey insisted. She’d left out the part where he’d comforted her and held her all night. Some details Rey wanted to hold and cherish all for herself.

“I can’t believe he rented an apartment for you. I want to see it,” Rose said excitedly. “Are you going to stay there?”

Rey shrugged and played with the tattered hem of her dress, “I don’t know. It feels weird accepting such an expensive gift.”

“Girl, he has  _ plenty  _ of money,” Rose pointed out.

She knew that was true. The amount the apartment cost was only a drop in a bucket to Kylo, but it wasn’t to Rey. An entire apartment to herself was a big deal. How many times had she dreamed of being able to leave behind this life and be able to afford to take care of herself? But that was all it was -- A dream. “I know,” was all she said in reply.

“What? You think you don’t deserve it?” Rose asked and Rey could hear the judgment in her voice. Even if Rey felt that way -- that she wasn’t worthy of all of the attention and money, she didn’t want a lecture about it. 

“What have I done to deserve it?” Rey asked instead. Simply existing wasn’t reason enough for Kylo to constantly drop thousands of dollars on her. In fact, she knew that if she sat down and calculated exactly how much money he’d  _ wasted _ on her, she’d hyperventilate.

“Oh, Rey,” Rose said and the judgement in her voice had been replaced with something even worse: pity.

“It’s fine,” Rey waved her hand dismissively, hoping to drop the subject. “I’m just going to enjoy it for now because it won’t last forever.”

“How do you know it won’t last forever?” Rose questioned and Rey should have known that she wasn’t going to be let off the hook so easy.

She gave Rose a look of disbelief, “You think he’s going to stick around forever if I won’t sleep with him?”

“You’ll sleep with him eventually,” Rose shrugged and there was such confidence on her face as she said it that Rey wanted to scoff.

Instead, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the pulling at the loose string on her hem that was making the dress unravel. Rose didn’t understand how she felt at all. Just the  _ thought _ of being touched made her shiver. “I won’t.” 

Rose didn’t look put off at all by Rey’s proclamation. In fact, she looked…  _ amused _ . “I’ve seen Mr. Ren,” Rose pointed out. “He’s pretty sexy. And at some point, you’re going to get horny.”

Rey shook her head, “I won’t. I never have before.”

Rose looked at her like she didn’t believe her and then urged incredulously, “Never? You’re not being serious…”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Rey pouted. “What reason would I have to be…  _ horny _ ?” The word came out as though it left the worse taste in Rey’s mouth. “All I know about sex is Plutt’s greasy, hairy body. Or Greedo’s creepy stare.”

“Oh, Rey,” Rose sighed. “Maz did you so dirty.”

“Don’t blame this on Maz,” Rey warned. She didn’t want to hear one bad word about the only person who ever took care of her. If not for Maz, maybe Rey would be dead. Or on the streets. Or addicted to drugs. She owed Maz her life for taking her in and she wouldn’t sit and listen to Rose badmouth her when she wasn’t even around to defend herself anymore.

“Fine,” Rose agreed but Rey could tell that she was angry.

They sat in silence for several long moments before Rose finally sighed, “I don’t want to fight again.”

“I don’t either,” Rey pointed out.

Rose laughed as she made her next statement, “You know I love you, but you’re so stubborn, Rey.”

Rey scrunched her nose and bared her teeth at Rose in an effort to defuse the situation. It worked and Rose laughed, pinching Rey’s cheeks until they were both smiling. “Just promise me one thing,” Rose said seriously.

“What?” Rey asked, wiping the tears from her face as her laughing winded down.

“If you  _ do _ get h-word around Mr. Ren, don’t hold back just for the sake of being stubborn. Not all men are like Plutt,” Rose advised softly with the utmost sincerity.

Rey wanted so badly to scoff but refused to risk being called stubborn again. After all of her experiences, was it so hard to believe that Rey was incapable of becoming aroused? And why should she feel shamed for that? There was nothing  _ wrong _ with not wanting sex. 

She was saved from having to say anything at all though, as Finn knocked on the door. Rey jumped out of her chair and glanced at the clock. Somehow, she’d completely lost track of time. When she yanked the door open, she saw Mitaka standing there nervously, “Miss Rey… your date with Mr. Ren…”

“Shit,” Rey said and looked down at her dress. She couldn’t wear this to dinner with Kylo and the only one she had that was appropriate -- the one that he’d bought her previously -- she’d loaned to Kaydel. “I’m not ready.”

Mitaka’s nervousness seemed to increase tenfold. “Mr. Ren left a dress for you. At your apartment.”

“Ok, let’s go,” Rey agreed, grabbing her makeup bag from the desk drawer. She’d have to do her makeup in the car and change quickly at the apartment.

“But he’s at the restaurant,” Mitaka argued. “Now. Waiting.”

“He’ll have to wait a bit longer,” Rey interrupted as she moved around him to the door.

“But…”

“I can’t very well go like this, can I?” Rey pointed out, rolling her eyes. “Do you think he wants me to show up in anything other than the dress he bought me?”

“Well, no, but…” Mitaka stuttered.

“You’re just wasting time arguing,” Rey said, opening the car door and climbing in. Mitaka closed it quickly and scrambled around the car to get into the driver’s seat.

Mitaka seemed to defy all traffic laws and got to the apartment in record time. He had her on edge and as she climbed out he said, “Please hurry.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she snapped as she slammed the door and hurried upstairs. If Kylo was in such a rush, why did he make plans with her? If she knew that she’d have to be running around like this, she would have turned down the date. Probably.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she went to her apartment and unlocked her door, immediately finding the Neiman Marcus box on her table. Inside was a black satin dress and Rey shucked off her clothes and put it on quickly. She had to suck in a deep breath to get it zipped up all the way, almost dislocating her shoulder in the process, but when she caught her reflection in the windows, she had to admit the pain was worth it. The dress was low cut and skin tight but fit her like a glove.

She threw on the matching shoes and switched out her purse for the silver clutch in the box. After a quick makeup and hair check, she was out the door and rushing downstairs. Mitaka was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk outside and Rey rolled her eyes, “Hurry! Get in the car.”

He did as he was told and luckily, the restaurant was only a few blocks away. When they pulled up, Rey could see Kylo waiting on the sidewalk, an annoyed expression on his face as he stepped forward to open her door. “You’re late,” he said.

Rey blinked. “I’m not  _ late _ . You never set a time.” Part of her was annoyed that he had made no comment on her appearance. She’d squeezed into this hellion of a dress and his first comment was that she wasn’t in front of him right when he wanted her to be?

“When I send for you, it’s time,” he barked.

“If your time is so precious, maybe I should leave,” Rey snapped. How dare he treat her like this was her fault.

He clenched his jaw and Rey could see the fury in his eyes as he gritted out, “Don’t.”

“Then stop being a jerk,” Rey said. “I was working all day and then I found out that the dress you wanted me to wear was delivered to the apartment that I literally haven’t been to all day. What was I supposed to do?”

Kylo took her arm, “It’s fine. Let’s just go eat.”

Rey yanked her arm away, “I don’t want to have dinner with you if you’re going to be an asshole all night.”

“Rey,” there was a warning tone to his voice.

“I’m not going to stay if you’re acting like this. I don’t like it.” There was a finality to her voice and she crossed her arms, tapping her foot as she waited for his reply. She’d been treated poorly by men her entire life and if this was how he was going to start treating her, then she wanted none of it. She wasn’t going to let him treat her like her dirtbag clients had. Not if he wanted her heart.

The anger melted from Kylo’s face and this time he took her hand instead of grabbing her arm, “I’m sorry, kitten.”

Rey raised her chin and looked away, refusing to give in so easily even though her indignance had already caved. Rose was right -- she  _ was _ stubborn.

Kylo took her chin in his hand and gently drew her attention back to him. “I’m sorry. I’ll play nice.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Now please come have dinner with me.”

Finally, Rey took his arm and let him lead her into the restaurant. She wouldn’t ever admit it to him, but seeing him so angry had caused a brief spark of fear. She’d seen anger like that before in Plutt’s eyes when he’d choke her and the thought that Kylo could get so mad about her being a little late was terrifying.

Rey was in awe as they stepped inside the restaurant which was perhaps the most beautiful restaurant she’d ever seen -- there were giant chandeliers above the tables and huge marble pillars. “Wait until you taste the food,” Kylo smirked when he saw her expression.

Once they were shown to their table, he waited until she was seated and then pushed her chair in for her before sitting on his own. Rey was unsurprised to see that there were no menus again, but she chose to trust Kylo’s judgement as the  garçon uncorked a bottle of wine and poured into each of their glasses. There was already a dish on the table filled with odd little greenish blobs. Rey eyed it warily.

“Caviar,” Kylo laughed and demonstrated how to eat it -- dipping a small spoon into the eggs and then lifting it to his mouth. 

After a moment, Rey copied him but made a face, “Fishy.”

Kylo laughed and motioned to the waiter who set a plate of buttered toast points next to the caviar, “Try it on this.”

Rey spread the eggs on the toast next and had to admit that it tasted much better. She hummed in appreciation and helped Kylo finish off the appetizer. Next came a plate of what the garçon explained was foie gras served on honey crisp apple slices. Rey loved this and when Kylo explained that it was goose liver, her face turned a little green, but it hadn’t stopped her from finishing it off.

As plate after plate came out, Rey forgot completely about her earlier interaction with Kylo. He seemed to have forgotten too and was wrapped up in amusement as Rey tried one French dish after another. She was in the middle of telling Kylo about how she’d made up with Rey when a man with long red striations down the sides of his face.

“Mr. Ren,” the man greeted. “I knew it was you. I just wanted to come over and thank you again for that  _ business deal.” _ The man winked for good measure. “I needed that contract with the Hutts to go through and you made it happen.”

Ben didn’t look pleased that his date had been interrupted but he was not about to cause a scene. “Mr. Vos, this is my lady friend Rey. Rey, this is Dryden Vos.”

If the face hadn’t struck a memory, the unusual name definitely would have. Rey wanted to crawl in a hole as the man turned his attention to her. “Pleasure to meet -- wait, have we met before?”

Rey quickly shook her head, “No, no…”

“Wait,” his gaze followed down her neck and shoulders and to her chest and his ogling seemed to trigger his memory. “You’re one of Maz’ girls.”

Kylo cleared his throat, bringing Dryden Vos’ attention away from Rey. She could tell by the expression on his face that he’d seen Dryden undressing her with his eyes and he was  _ not _ pleased. 

Dryden, unfortunately, hadn’t caught on to Kylo’s anger. “Oh boy, you’re in for a treat Mr. Ren. Rey here is quite a…”

“ENOUGH.” Kylo barked and Dryden’s entire body stiffened as he caught on. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”

“M-mr. Ren, I didn’t mean,” he stammered, trying to fix his mistake, “I just meant that you have good taste and…”

“Did I not make myself clear?” Kylo ground out and he unbuttoned his suit coat, opening it to reveal a gun in a holster against his side.

“Y-yessir.” Rey had never seen a man retreat as quickly as Dryden Vos. He pulled his date out of her chair and rushed quickly, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Ren.

Rey could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves and though she knew it wasn’t directed at her, she did not like it. Between his silent fury and the utter humiliation at being outed as a whore in such a fancy restaurant made Rey want to throw up. “I want to go home now,” she said quietly.

Kylo raised no argument, standing up and tossing his napkin onto the table. He didn’t bother to help Rey out of her chair, instead stomping out of the dining room and forcing Rey to struggle to keep up in her stiletto heels. 

Mitaka must have been waiting nearby for them to finish, because no sooner had Kylo called him than he had pulled up in front of the restaurant. Rey flinched as he yanked the door open and commanded, “Get in.”

She quickly climbed in the car and buckled in. When Kylo had settled into his seat, Rey reached over and touched his shoulder, “Hey. Calm down.”

He shrugged his shoulder, pushing her hand away and clenched his jaw. He said nothing in return and Rey sat back, crossing her arms over her stomach and wondering why he seemed so angry at her again. She certainly hadn’t asked for Dryden Vos to be there nor had she asked to be humiliated like that. Couldn’t he understand how upset  _ she _ was over the entire thing?

After over five minutes of silence, he spoke, “You humiliated me.”

Rey’s head snapped in his direction so fast she could hear her neck crack, “Excuse me?”

“You show up late and keep me waiting like an idiot,” he began. “Then--”

“No,” Rey interrupted, her own voice rising. “You don’t get to be mad about that anymore.”

“I get to be mad about whatever I damn well please,” Kylo spat back. “No one shows up to a meeting with me late.”

“Oh,” Rey began sarcastically, “Is  _ that _ what this is? A fucking  _ meeting _ ? I was under the impression it was a date.” Hadn’t he been the one to pursue her and insist on having a romantic relationship? She’d been perfectly happy to stay business partners before he’d come in wooing her.

Kylo ignored her and dragged a hand through his hair, mussing it in a way that Rey would have found fascinating if she weren’t currently so angry at him. “And then I have to hear all about how you spread your legs for fucking Dryden Vos…”

Rey’s blood ran cold. “Fuck you. Stop the car.”

“You won’t even fucking look in my direction and you’ll sleep with that second rate lackey,” Kylo continued ranting.

Rey pounded on the glass separating the backseat from Mitaka. “STOP. THE. CAR.”

The car screeched to a halt and Rey opened the door, leaping from the vehicle so quickly that she fell onto the sidewalk on her hands and knees. She stood quickly, her cheeks burning in humiliation, but she brushed the dirt off and began to stomp away. 

“Get back in the car,” Kylo demanded, sticking his head out.

“So you can treat me like trash?” Rey asked. “Fuck you, Mr. Ren.” 

She thought she saw his face fall, but it was only a flash before he said, “Fine.” He slammed the door closed and the car sped off down the street.

By now her knees were bleeding and she was sure her face was blotchy as she struggled to keep herself from crying. She refused to spare any tears on Kylo Ren after he’d treated her like she was nothing but a whore. She knew she was being an idiot, afterall, she  _ was _ nothing but a whore. It had been idiotic to let herself believe that Kylo Ren would see her as anything else.

She’d been living in a fairytale in her short-lived romance with Mr. Ren. It felt nice to think that his feeling had been genuine, but at the end of the day, all he’d ever wanted from her was sex. 

“Good riddance,” she muttered under her breath as she caught sight of a subway station. She was better off without the silly notions of love and romance. Mr. Ren wouldn’t have her body or her heart or anything else from her. He could rot in hell, for all she cared.

*****

Kylo had to keep himself from turning around to look at Rey. As much as he wanted to see her, to tell Mitaka to turn around, to apologize and beg for her forgiveness, he wouldn’t do it. His temper had blown things with Rey and his pride refused to allow him to fix it.

He needed to do  _ something _ , though. He pulled out his phone and dialled Hux’s number. As soon as the other man answered, Kylo barked, “Find Dryden Vos and bring him to me. You have two hours.”

He didn’t wait for Hux to reply before dropping the call. He reached inside his coat and pulled the gun from the holster, letting his bloodlust take control. Dryden Vos would pay for ruining his date with Rey. For looking at her like that. For ever daring to touch what was  _ his. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that once a week, I ask my followers to pick one story for me to update? If you'd like to see this update faster, follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jeeaysee0925) and cast a vote. (Or if you're ever curious which stories I plan on updating throughout the week)


	7. Bitter Fear

Chapter 7

When Rey stomped through the front door of Cafe Natur’elle, past a concerned looking Finn and up the stairs to her room, her poorly concealed rage was melting into desperate sadness. She’d told herself the entire subway ride home that she was better off without Kylo and that he couldn’t be trusted, but that hadn’t made it hurt any less.

He’d told her that he wanted to take care of her and at the first chance he’d treated her like she was nothing but a whore. He was an asshole for giving her hope and she was stupid for having any hope. She would never be anything but a prostitute, even if she wasn’t turning tricks any more.

Finn must have sent Rose after her, because no sooner had Rey let the tears unleash then Rose was opening the door and crossing the room to pull Rey into a hug. For now, at least, Rey let herself cry because she knew that Rose would never judge her for it. She didn’t need to put on a strong facade for the only person who knew her heart.

  
Rose let her cry, leading her to the bed and sitting her down so the smaller woman could rock Rey in her arms and rub her back soothingly. Even as she clung to Rose, she wondered what she’d done to deserve such a good friend. “Rey, what happened?” she finally asked when Rey’s sobs had turned to soft sniffles.

“Kylo Ren,” Rey began, but it came out as an embarrassingly hoarse squeak. She cleared her throat, “I never want to see him again.”

It was obvious that Rose didn’t know how to proceed with the conversation so she gently asked, “What did he do?” She cleared her throat and prodded, “He didn’t try to…?”

Rey shook her head, “He’d be dead if he tried.” A day ago, she would have sworn that he would never try, but now she wasn’t so sure. He’d been so angry that she’d slept with Dryden Vos even if it was before she’d ever met him and in the end he’d yelled at her like he was entitled to her body because of it.

Rose kissed the top of Rey’s head and ran her fingers soothingly through her hair. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. But you can tell me anything.”

“He was mad that I was late for the date,” Rey began, sniffling and wiping her nose against Rose’s shoulder, not caring about the mess she made of her friend’s shirt. “Then Dryden Vos showed up.”

“Oh no,” Rose groaned. “Did he get jealous?”

If it was just jealousy, Rey could have handled it. She’d dealt with jealous men before. No, he’d filled her with useless hope and let her down by treating her like trash and that hurt her more than she wanted to admit. “I just want to sleep,” she told Rose after tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to think about it anymore. Maybe it would hurt less in the morning.

“Okay,” Rose said, in that gentle voice that reminded Rey of something motherly. “Do you want me to stay?” Rose asked as she helped Rey climb into bed.

Rey nodded and Rose crawled in next to her, wrapping her arms around Rey in a hug. The action made Rey feel like a child, but she’d let Rose hold her like this countless times and had done the same for her friend. Perhaps men like Kylo would come and go, but at least she’d always have Rose.

*****

The entire evening had been far messier than Kylo liked -- he’d always been one for a quick, clean kill. No point in drawing out what needed to be done. But he’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t taken great pleasure in making the last minutes of Dryden Vos’ life excruciatingly painful.

When Hux had brought Vos to him in record time -- just over one hour -- he’d been informed that the man in question had been trying to leave town like a weasel. Even then, Kylo had been ready to just end things quickly. A bullet to the head and done. But then the idiot had opened his mouth.

“P-please,” Vos begged. “She didn’t mean anything. She was just another whore to me.”

Kylo could not have predicted how quickly the rage would take hold of him at those words. He’d punched Vos square in the center of his face, hard enough that a spurt of blood hit Kylo’s face as the other man stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground.

There was a gurgle of blood in his voice as Vos spoke, “P-please, Mr. Ren.”

Kylo didn’t want to hear him beg -- he wanted to make him  _ suffer _ . Dryden Vos had the privilege of Rey’s attention, of her body and of her pleasure and he  _ dared  _ to compare her to any other woman. To refer to her as a  _ whore _ , for fuck’s sake. Kylo stalked towards him, lifting him half off the ground by his necktie and punching him again. And again until his face was an unrecognizable bloody pulp.

When he finally let go of Vos, the other man slumped back onto the ground and if not for the wheezing gasps he was taking, Kylo would think he was already dead. He raised his leg, stomping down on the prone man’s chest until he heard a satisfying crunch and only then did he pull his gun from the holster and unloading the clip into the other man’s skull.

Hux stepped forward when it was done, “Shit, Ren. What did he do?” He handed Kylo a towel and watched as his boss wiped his face and hands.

Kylo didn’t answer immediately as he re-holstered his pistol. “Clean it up.”

Hux knew better than to push for an answer as Kylo Ren stalked away, but he had a feeling that, based on what he’d overheard, it had something to do with the Madam of Cafe Natur’elle. If Kylo wouldn’t answer him, he knew that Rose would.

*****

Rey woke to Rose’s hushed whispers and when she blinked her eyes open, she could make out Rose standing by the window. “It’s not my story to tell, Armie. Rey has her reasons and if he wants even a whisper of a chance to get her back, he’s going to have to do a lot of grovelling.”

Rey knew immediately that Hux was trying to mediate on Kylo’s behalf and Rey was unimpressed that Rose was being used as a pawn. But then Rose’s soft laughter flitted across the room and Rey couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s happiness. 

“No, I can’t picture him begging. I’m just telling you that Rey won’t spare him a glance if he doesn’t come to her on hands and knees.” Rey snorted into her pillow, thinking that Rose’s assessment of the situation was the understatement of the century. Even  _ if _ Kylo sucked up his pride and begged, she still wouldn’t forgive him.

“I already told you what I can,” Rose said. “Rey has her reasons for not hopping into bed with him and if he’s such an idiot about her past, maybe he isn’t man enough to date someone who used to turn tricks.”

Rey heard her sigh in exasperation, “Yes, Armie.  _ You’re _ man enough… I love you too. Goodnight, honey bear.”

Rose hung up the phone and padded quietly back to the bed. “Honey Bear, huh?” Rey teased as her friends crawled back under the covers.

“Hush,” Rose scolded. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Rey shrugged, “It’s fine.”

“So what happened with Dryden Vos?” Rose prodded. “Hux said he’s never seen Kylo quite so angry.”

“He’s an idiot. He screamed at me about how I’ve had sex with Vos but won’t even look at him,” Rey explained as Rose pulled the blanket up snugly over them both.

“But does he know  _ why _ you won’t sleep with him, Rey?” Rose pressed. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

Rey shook her head, “I can’t tell him. He’s complained before that he’s the one who had to clean up the Unkar Plutt mess.”

“But maybe he wouldn’t complain about it if he knew it was you that killed Plutt. And why you did it. Because I think if he knew what Plutt did to you then --” Rose began but Rey interrupted her.

“I just think it’s better to let it go,” Rey said. “I was being silly to think that I could have a normal date…”

“Rey, stop. That’s not silly at all,” Rose scolded. “You deserve to fall in love just like anyone else.”

“God, Rose. It was so humiliating when Vos came to the table,” Rey felt herself tearing up again. “He took me to this fancy french restaurant and he asked me about making up with you and then Vos comes over and starts telling Kylo about how he was in for a treat with me.”

“That asshole,” Rose growled.

“He didn’t know,” Rey shook her head. “I sleep with men for money, why would he think it was a date? I’m so dumb…”

“Rey, I mean it. Stop. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Rose said. “You have feelings for Kylo and just because you’ve slept with men for money doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have those feelings.”

Rey couldn’t help but feel that wasn’t the case. At the end of the day, even Kylo had made her feel like all she was good for was sex. He didn’t want to take care of her and he certainly didn’t feel anything for her other than lust and possession. “You weren’t there.”

“I wasn’t,” Rose agreed. “But I know you, Rey. I know that he makes you happy and he makes you feel things no other man has. He was a complete asshole, but don’t you think that’s because he doesn’t fully understand? If he knew about Plutt, he wouldn’t have said all of that. You don’t owe Kylo Ren a damn thing and if you don’t want to be with him anymore, that’s fine. But you owe it to yourself to tell him what happened with Plutt.”

Rey shook her head. She couldn’t tell him because she knew that he would think less of her than he already did. And that made her feel even more idiotic because she shouldn’t care what Kylo Ren thought of her after he’d spoken to her like he had. And yet, she did care. Rey wondered if this was part of being normal -- having your heart broken.

“What’s the worst that can happen? If it’s already over, then telling him won’t hurt. Will you talk to him if he comes?” Rose asked and smiled when Rey finally nodded. If nothing else, maybe it would bring closure to the situation and Rey could stop feeling so miserable.

“That’s my brave girl,” she kissed Rey’s forehead. “Now go back to sleep.”

*****

Kylo thought that he would feel better after ending Dryden Vos’ life, but instead, he’d spent the entire night pacing back and forth in his apartment. He didn’t regret what he’d done to the man, but after several hours, he  _ did _ begin to feel remorse for what he’d said to Rey.

The rage was familiar to him. He conducted business using that rage, made informants talk with it and enemies fall at the hands of it. But the second emotion -- now, that was unfamiliar.

Remorse. It was a rare emotion for Kylo Ren and one that he hadn’t felt in years. Now here he was, thinking about that flash of humiliation that had crossed Rey’s face when he’d shouted at her. Kylo Ren was not a stupid man, but he was willing to admit that he often let emotions led his decisions instead of using his brain.

Rey was a prostitute -- he knew this when he’d started pursuing her, so what right did he have to get angry that there were men out there who had slept with her? He knew the answer wasn’t that he was  _ angry _ . No, he was jealous.

His attraction to Rey was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He’d never met a woman before who dared to shout back, to challenge him, hell… to  _ outwit _ him. In his eyes, she was a fiery goddess. And he’d let his jealousy get in the way of worshipping her the way that she deserved. When it was all boiled down to the bare facts, Kylo wanted her all to himself. He didn’t want anyone else touching her, but he also wasn’t naive to think that no one had in the past. He was no virgin himself and he certainly wouldn’t hold it against her for enjoying sex. What bothered him was that there were parts of her that were off limits to  _ him _ but given freely to others.

And that led him to another realization -- he was  _ hurt. _ In his desire for Rey, he had opened himself up and made himself vulnerable in a way he never had before. He wanted to give her everything, had  _ tried _ to, but it wasn’t good enough. She didn’t  _ want  _ him.

It had been so easy in the past to laugh it off when she said that she would never be with him physically. He’d been so certain that she would come to him eventually and beg for his touch. But now, now he felt none of that confidence. Perhaps he’d been foolish to laugh. He’d been a fool to get so angry when she’d made no qualms about her feelings -- she didn’t want to sleep with him, now or ever.

When the sun finally rose, Kylo was still pacing back and forth, trying to decide what to do with himself. He wanted Rey, but now he had to grapple with the knowledge that he could never have her fully. Was it worth it?

He thought about her smile and her laugh. The way she hung on his every word when they were together, not because her life depended on it, but because she wanted to listen. He thought about the soft way she looked at him, the way she melted in his arms when he kissed her. He thought about the way she clung to him all night when they’d shared a bed -- like she was terrified he wouldn’t be there in the morning. He thought about all those things and knew that he was in love with her. 

He knew that he needed to see Rey, to talk to her and tell her how he felt. He quickly showered and changed out of the bloodied suit, opting for a pair of dark jeans and a black sweater. He wouldn’t go as Kylo Ren, mob boss. He would let himself be vulnerable and hope that she would accept his feelings.

*****

When Rey woke up the next morning, Rose was already gone from the bed so Rey dressed quickly and went to find her. When she got downstairs, Finn and Rose were involved in a heated discussion over a copy of the morning newspaper. “We have to tell her,” Rose insisted.

“Tell me what?” Rey yawned as she filled a mug with hot coffee. They were still using Finn’s tiny little coffee pot as Rey searched for a replacement part for the old espresso machine.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Finn tuck the newspaper behind his back and give Rose a pointed look, “Nothing.”

“She’s going to find out,” Rose insisted. 

  
  
“Find out  _ what?”  _ Rey pressed.

Rose snatched the newspaper out of Finn’s hand and silently handed it to Rose. Rey read the headline outline, ‘Body found floating in the Hudson overnight identified as contractor Dryden Vos’. Rey’s stomach roiled and she put the cup of coffee on the counter. “Oh God…”

Rose shuffled over to wrap an arm around Rey as her knees threatened to give out. “Finn, get her some water.”

“It was Kylo,” Rey whispered and Rose nodded in agreement. Rey felt a shiver shoot down her spine. Another man was dead because of her. Dryden Vos had done nothing to deserve being murdered. Out of the many clients she  _ entertained _ over the years, Dryden had been one of the more pleasant both in attitude and experience -- the girls all referred to him as Two-Minute Vos behind his back and fought over who got to service him because it was over so quickly. And now he was dead. “I’m going to be sick,” Rey muttered and pushed away from Rose to stumble down the hall to the bathroom.

She remembered what it had felt like to kill Plutt -- the mess and the terror and the guilt. Kylo had done it so easily to Dryden Vos, who had done nothing wrong except be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The thought of Vos, bloodied to a pulp the way that Plutt had been sent the contents of Rey’s stomach into the toilet bowl.

Rose squatted next to her, stroking her hair softly. “It’s okay.”

Rey shook her head. It was  _ not _ okay. This was unforgivable -- what she’d done to Unkar Plutt had been in self-defense. It was kill or be killed. But Kylo Ren had killed Dryden Vos in cold blood, simply because he could. Because he was a childish, violent, horrible man. 

And Rey was scared. 

If he could do that to someone so easily, maybe he would do it to her too. Maybe she’d do something to make him angry someday. Or maybe he’d grow tired of waiting for her and just take what he wanted from her. He’d hurt her and ruin her and  _ kill _ her.

One thing was clear to Rey, and after splashing her face with cold water, she said the words to Rose with such vehemence, “I  _ never _ want to see Kylo Ren again.”

*****

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are not looking good for Kylo!


	8. Enter Detective Dameron

  
  


Rey was lying in bed, trying to quell the second wave of nausea when she heard all of the commotion downstairs. It started with the sound of scuffling -- chairs being knocked over and furniture being dragged across the floor. Rey sat up in bed, ears straining as she wondered what could be happening downstairs.

She threw the blankets off and got out of bed and moved across the room quietly, pulling the door open and leaning into the hallways so she could hear. When voices were raised, Rey recognized the raised voices of Kylo and Finn.

“Put your guns away!” she heard Rose shrieking.

Rey’s heart dropped and she stumbled out of the room towards the top of the stairs. “She doesn’t want to see you,” she heard Finn growl. “My job is to protect the girls and if you don’t put that damn gun away.”

“She can tell me herself if she doesn’t want to see me,” Kylo spat and Rey was tempted to do just that. Kylo Ren was the most infuriating man she had ever met and before the Dryden Vos murder, she would have no issues telling him what for, but now she was honestly afraid to face him.

“She’s afraid of you,” Finn shot back. “You killed Dryden Vos.”

“Do you have proof of that?” Kylo’s voice was eerily calm and it sent shivers down Rey’s spine that he could be so completely nonchalant about murder. When she killed Plutt, she hadn’t been able to sleep for days because she just pictured his crushed skull every time she closed her eyes.

“I don’t need proof. I need you to get out of here,” Finn answered.

“You can just come in here waving around a gun,” Rose spoke, trying to be the voice of reason in the situation. “She’d never speak to you again if she knew.”

“I want to see her,” Kylo demanded. “I want to talk to her.”

“No,” Finn repeated. “She told me that if you come by, she doesn’t want to see you.”

“I don’t care what she said. Go tell her I’m here,” Kylo insisted.

“So what Rey wants doesn’t matter?” Rose asked. “You talk to her like she’s garbage, you kill someone and scare her and her feelings don’t matter? You don’t deserve Rey.”

There was a long stretch of silence and Rey was sorely tempted to lean out and peek around the corner to see Kylo’s face. Was he angry? Sad? Hurt?

“Will you tell her I came?” Kylo finally asked.

“I’ll tell her,” Rose promised. 

If that meant that Kylo was leaving, she needed to get back upstairs before he saw her so she took two at a time and quietly closed her bedroom door. She had just tucked herself back into bed when Rose opened the door to her bedroom. “Kylo was here,” she told Rey.

“I heard,” Rey answered. “Is Finn okay?”

Rose nodded, “He’s fine. I think Kylo got the message eventually. Are you okay?”

“I will be,” Rey answered. She was surprised that Kylo had listened to reason and left so easily and even more surprised by the fact that she wished he had tried harder for her. That was a shocking realization for Rey, the knowledge that there was a part of her that wanted to see him even though she was terrified of the things that he had done. He was a killer, but she couldn’t reconcile that with the gentler parts of him -- the warmth and humor that she’d experienced first hand. She wasn’t in love with Kylo Ren, but she couldn’t explain the way she felt in any other terms but heartbreak.

*****

Kylo Ren was at a loss: he wanted desperately to see Rey and tell her how he felt and beg for her forgiveness but she would not see him. For the first time in years, he regretted the angry words he’d spoken and even more so, the violent reaction he’d had towards Dryden Vos. The thought of Rey being scared of him -- his strong, brave kitten -- made him feel hopeless. He didn’t want to lose her. He _couldn’t_ when she was the only good thing in his life.

“I want you to keep an eye on her,” Kylo told Hux as they got back into his car.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hux questioned.

“Are you complaining about being given a job that lets you spend more time with Rose?” Kylo asked, raising an eyebrow. “And since when do you question me?”

“Since you’re making bad decisions. Rey is smart,” Hux pointed out.

“I know that,” Kylo snapped. Rey was the smartest woman he’d ever met and she was clever and conniving in a way that Kylo found oddly arousing. She was the only person who outwitted him and got away with it.

“Well, then you know she’s going to know you’re trailing her,” Hux added.

Kylo knew that she would figure it out easily enough, but he was hoping that she would realize it was because he cared. “I want to make sure she is okay.”

“She’s got a body guard.”

“Well now she’s got two,” Kylo said with finality this time.

Hux knew better than to argue, even if he thought that Kylo’s decision was a stupid one. Rose had made it clear that Kylo had a long road ahead of him to get back into Rey’s good graces and already he was fucking it up by having her followed around like a child or worse, a criminal. He would do as he was told and let Ren deal with the consequences.

*****

A week. An entire week had passed since the catastrophic date with Rey and Kylo had hoped that Rey would come around in that time. He’d sent her flowers and gifts and long-winded love letters -- but it was no use. According to Hux, the flowers ended up in the garbage, the gifts (including a diamond cartier cuff bracelet) were regifted to the girls at the brothel and the letters, well… Hux had no idea what she did with those but he knew that Rey had a fireplace in her office.

On top of all of that, every evening, Kylo waited in the lobby of the building where he’d rented her a condo only to be disappointed. Not once had Rey visited or spent the night.

Rey had spurned him in every way she possibly could and if she were any other woman, he would be furious, but the fact of the matter was that he knew he deserved it. He wasn’t a perfect man, or even a good one, but he’d hurt Rey and scared her and his anger and jealousy weren’t going to win her over. Neither would groveling nor pining nor longing.

Kylo Ren was willing to admit that perhaps he’d lost Rey.

In the past, when things did not go his way, Kylo ruled his kingdom with an iron fist. He would yell and scream and fight and yes, kill. But all of that had gotten him nowhere with Rey so why bother? All the anger in the world wouldn’t bring back the one thing he truly wanted. For the first time in his entire life, Kylo wondered what was the point of ruling a kingdom if he had no queen by his side?

His mopiness had not gone unnoticed by Hux and his second-hand man was smart enough to realize that if Kylo Ren didn’t go back to his old ways, their entire syndicate was in jeopardy. They needed a leader and if Kylo wasn’t going to step up, then someone else would.

Which led Hux to trying, for what felt like the one millionth time, to convince Rose to convince _Rey_ to talk to Kylo. “Please, sugar plum,” he begged.

“I can’t tell Rey what to do. She is the most stubborn person I know,” Rose reminded him in an exasperated tone. This was a conversation they had at least once a day over the last week and Rose was minding the counter at the cafe and didn’t have time for the annoyance.

“Can’t you just suggest that you think it’s best for her to talk to him?” Hux asked.

“And _how_ do I do that? ‘Oh Rey, I really think you should talk to the guy who made you feel like shit and then murdered a man out of spite.’” The look she gave Hux would wither a lesser man.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it quite like _that_ ,” Hux joked.

“I can’t help with this. Kylo needs to figure it out for himself.” The bell above the door chimed and a man came in, dressed in a suit that was much too nice for this part of town and Rose did not recognize him as one of Kylo’s associates.

“ _Cop_ ,” Hux mouthed at Rose.

“Can I help you, sir?” Rose asked, trying not to get too flustered. They’d had undercover cops try to infiltrate the brothel as customers before, but not since Maz had passed. She was unusually good at sussing them out and Rose was eternally grateful that Hux had been here to do it before she’d offered him the brothel’s services. “Our fresh baked muffins are amazing.”

The man raised an eyebrow as if he hadn’t been expecting her to offer food. “I’m here to see Miss Rey Johnson.”

“Oh.” Rose looked towards the stairs. “She’s indisposed at the moment.”

“I must insist,” the man said, and finally pulled out his badge and ID. “Detective Poe Dameron, New York Police Department,” he introduced himself. “I could always go upstairs and find her. I’m assuming she’s up here,” he asked, nodding towards the stairs.

“I’ll get her,” Rose insisted. Kaydel was upstairs with a client and none of them could afford getting arrested for prostitution. She gave Hux a purposeful look, one that begged for help and the redheaded man was gone in the blink of an eye.

“I appreciate it,” Poe smiled.

Rose nodded and ran up the stairs to Rey’s room and threw the door open. “Rey. There’s a cop downstairs. He wants to see you.”

Rey blinked. “For what?”

“I don’t know,” Rose answered as Rey climbed out of bed and stumbled across the room, ripping open her dresser drawers to find something to wear.

“Get us some coffee and show him to my office. I’ll be right down,” Rey ordered as she pulled on an old sweater and a pair of jeans. 

Rose nodded and hurried back downstairs while Rey ran a brush through her hair. She couldn’t keep the man waiting for long. While she was careful to hide any information about the brothel, she was sure that a cop left alone in her office would surely start snooping. 

She practically ran down the stairs and threw the kitchen to her office where she found the police officer rifling through her desk drawer. She cleared her throat, “I assume you have a search warrant, Mr…?”

He straightened up and closed the desk drawer and sat down in her office chair, “Please, call me Poe.”

“Poe,” Rey began. “Well, I would offer you a chair, but it appears you’ve already taken one.” She felt that it would be in bad form to let him just take her chair, so she pulled out the one across the desk, “Though I must insist you take the chair of honor here.”

Poe looked like he hadn’t been expecting the power play from her, but he stood from her chair behind the desk and took his seat in the proffered one. 

Rey sat in her proper seat and folded her hands on the top of her desk, trying her best to stay cool and calm, though she was petrified. “What can I do for you, Poe?”

He smirked, “I have a problem. Well, I guess I could say we both have a problem.”

“And what would that be?” Rey asked.

“I have a dead body,” Poe began, “And you were one of the last people to see him alive.”

Rey’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach and roiled around, stirring up a new wave of nausea. It hadn’t even occurred to her that this was about Dryden Vos, she’d been so sure that it was somehow related to a prostitution charge. She’d seen Maz deal with police officers so many times that it was only a matter of time before Rey knew that duty would fall onto her shoulders.   
  
But murder charges were so much worse than prostitution.

Rey cleared her throat, “I heard about that. It’s unfortunate.”

“I have witnesses who saw you in the restaurant talking to him,” Poe informed her. “Along with Kylo Ren. What were you talking about?”

Rey shook her head and decided to just play innocent, “He came to speak with Kylo. I didn’t speak directly to Mr. Vos. I was just there.”

Poe looked as though he didn’t quite believe her, “Hmm and what did they talk about?”

“I’m not sure. Something business related,” Rey answered with a shrug. “I don’t understand any of that stuff.”

“Hmm, isn’t this a business you’re running here?” Poe asked, raising an eyebrow. “Surely you would understand a little business talk.”

Rey narrowed her eyes, “Running a bakery is different than running… whatever it is that Mr. Vos runs.”

“Right. A bakery,” Poe grinned and Rey’s suspicions that the police detective knew the truth behind Cafe Natur’elle were confirmed. “And what exactly do you think it is that Mr. Ren and Mr. Vos do?”

Rey’s leg was jiggling nervously under the desk but she fought to maintain her air of detached coolness in front of Poe, “I’m not sure. I’m not particularly close with either of them.”

“Is that so? I’d hate if you were lying to me, Rey,” Poe said. “That could get you in trouble. Could get this whole _cafe_ in trouble.”

“Maybe you should talk to Mr. Ren,” Rey suggested, standing up. “I’m sure he has more information about the conversation with Mr. Vos than I do.”

Poe stood up, sensing that he’d worn out the welcome and wasn’t going to get any further. He’d done what he came to do -- threaten Rey and scare her into talking. “I’ll leave my card with you in case you remember anything important.” He opened his wallet, pulling out a business card and handing it to her.

Rey snatched it out of his hand, “Thank you.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Rey. I’m sure we’ll talk again very soon,” Poe gave her a nod and let himself out.

Once the door was shut behind him, Rey exhaled a shaky breath and fell back into her chair. The intention behind Poe’s visit was clear and as much as Rey would love to throw Kylo under the bus to rid herself of the detective’s attention, she couldn’t do that. For one, she would have to worry about retaliation from Kylo’s men. And for two, she did not want to see Kylo behind bars, no matter how heinous his crimes were, and that was particularly concerning to her.

Worrying about Kylo Ren was pointless. He’d been in trouble with the law more times than she could count and he knew how to kill in a way that would absolve him of any punishable crime. There was clearly no evidence leading to Kylo other than the eyewitnesses at the restaurant and Poe was trying to scare her into throwing Kylo under the bus to save herself. Or perhaps he suspected her involvement in the murder, Rey was unsure. Or perhaps he knew she wouldn’t talk and had other reasons for visiting

She opened the drawer that Poe had been rifling through and turned her palm up, sliding it along the top of the desk inside the drawer. As she suspected, she yanked out a tiny device and held it up -- a bug. She set it on the desk and then stood up, pulling out her cell phone and dialing a number as she exited the room.

It wasn’t until she was safely back in her own bedroom that she pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. “Hello? Luke, it’s Rey. I need your help.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens :) I hope you all enjoy Poe... he's a lot of fun to write!


	9. The Truth Comes Out

Armitage Hux had never run anywhere so fast in his life. Hell, he didn’t run,  _ period _ . It always messed up his hair and made his pale skin pink and splotchy and even worse, it wrinkled his suit. But this was a situation that called for nothing short of a sprint.

His boss, Kylo Ren, had been in a mood for the past week. Or perhaps  _ moods _ would be the best way to explain the emotional state of the enormous man. Hux had personally seen him go from anger to sorrow to rage in a matter of seconds and it had everyone on edge. Kylo had calmly murdered dozens of men with his own hands and had ruled over what must surely amount to the entire city with a calculated and detached demeanor and to think: a woman was the only thing able to bring him to his knees.    
  
Hux would have laughed if someone had told him how smitten  _ the _ Kylo Ren would be over a woman who amounted to nothing more than a common street whore. It was almost laughable if Hux didn’t find himself similarly pussy-whipped. And really, if Hux was honest with himself, he was running for Rose’s sake more than out of loyalty to his boss.

If the police took Rose away, Hux didn’t know what he would do. Find another whore? But he knew that Rose would be irreplaceable. There could be no other woman and he was just waiting for this situation with Rey to be resolved so that he could make an ‘honest’ woman out of Rose.

When he finally managed to find Kylo, at a restaurant with the mayor -- no doubt hammering out some sort of nefarious dealing to sway the upcoming election in his favor. “Ren,” Hux panted, taking no mind of the important conversation that he was interrupting.

“Hux,” Kylo ground out through clenched teeth, “This better be important.”

“It is,” Hux insisted and then, as if remembering to show reverence in their current company, he bowed his head to the mayor, “Mayor Snoke. So sorry to interrupt.”

“Do tell us what was so important,” Snoke sneered, looking at Hux with thinly veiled contempt.

Hux swallowed and turned to Kylo, “It would be better if we spoke in private.” The entire universe did not need to know about Kylo Ren’s achilles heel -- Rey the whore.

“Whatever you can say to me, you can say in front of Snoke,” Kylo argued, sitting back and crossing his arms as he waited for Hux to spill it. “And it better be good.”

“It’s about…” Hux paused, searching for the right words, “the  _ asset _ you asked me to look after.”

Kylo’s face fell for a split second before it was replaced with his usual stoicism and Hux could only hope that Snoke hadn’t seen it as well. When Hux glanced at the mayor, he knew that he hadn’t been the only one to witness Ren’s moment of weakness. Nothing good would come of Snoke knowing about Rey and if he thought that she was a weakness, she would undoubtedly be eliminated. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor drew Hux’s attention back to his boss. 

“Mayor Snoke. I’ll take what you’ve told me under advisement and get back to you, but I don’t have any doubts that a little money will help grease the palms of the election judges,” Kylo explained calmly, his hands hanging at his sides, but his shoulders tense.

Snoke nodded, standing as well. “We both seem to have important things to attend to,” he narrows his eyes as he looks at Hux, “Though I must say I am disappointed to cut this meeting short before learning more about this  _ asset. _ ”

“It is of no consequence to you or the election,” Kylo answered quickly, his fists clenching.

“My boy,” Snoke laughed, “ _ I _ decide what is of no consequence to me. I look forward to hearing more during our next meeting.” With that, Snoke’s assistant draped a silk lined mink coat over his shoulders and both Hux and Kylo watched as the older man sauntered from the restaurant. 

When they were out of sight and earshot, Kylo turned to Hux with a look of thinly veiled rage behind his eyes, “This had better be damn important Hux or I swear to God…”

“The police are at the cafe,” Hux interrupted, “A detective, probably, because he was wearing street clothes.”

“Shit,” Kylo breathed, running a hand through his hair. “Did he recognize you?”

“If he did, he didn’t show it.” Hux watched as Kylo pulled on his coat in a hurry. “He insisted on seeing Rey.”

“Shit,” Kylo repeated as he paced back and forth. “Let’s go.”

*****

When Luke Skywalker arrived at the cafe, Rey was seated at a table in the corner, her brows furrowed in worry as she knitted her hands nervously. She stood as soon as she saw him and he approached her with a smile, “Rey.”

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Skywalker. Can I get you something to drink?” She asked as her voice warbled with emotion

“Tea would be fine,” he said, taking off his coat and hanging it over the back of the chair.

Rey nodded, “I’ll be right back.” She hurried to the kitchen, glad to have something to do with her hands to keep her from focusing on the visit and worse, the planted microphone in her office. She took her time, setting several muffins in a basket as she let the hot water boil. 

When the tea finished steeping, she loaded everything onto a tray and carried it back into the cafe, setting the cup of tea in front of Luke, along with milk and sugar and her basket of homemade muffins. “Oh, thank you, Rey. You didn’t need to go through all of this trouble on my account.”

Rey waved her hand dismissively, watching as Luke took his time adding sugar and a huge amount of milk to his tea. “I could have brought you just milk,” she teased.

Luke laughed as he stirred the tea with a small silver spoon. “You said you needed my help, Rey?”

“Yes,” her expression changed from mirth to worry at the reminder of her earlier visit from Detective Dameron. “I’m afraid I’m in a bit of trouble with the law again,” she said quietly, too ashamed to meet Luke’s eyes. She wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for Kylo Ren and her ill-conceived agreement to date him.

“Why don’t you tell me all about it?” Luke said soothingly, taking a blueberry muffin from the basket and calmly peeling back the paper.

Rey meant to tell Luke about the visit from Poe Dameron, but what ended up spilling out of her mouth was more like a therapy session than a business meeting with her lawyer. She told him all about Kylo Ren -- how they’d been seeing each other, her developing feelings, the dinner date with Dryden Vos and the catastrophic fallout that had occurred afterwards. She told him about the accusations Poe had made and finally about the recording device he’d left in her office.

“Clever girl,” Luke smirked, reaching across the table and patting her hand. “Go get it and we’ll figure out what to do with it.”

Rey nodded and stood up, hurrying to her office to get the bug.

*****

Not a single word passed between Hux and Kylo as Mitaka drove them towards Rey’s cafe. Kylo was too deep in thought and Hux knew better than to say anything. 

Kylo wanted to respect Rey’s wishes and stay away -- he’d had every intention of doing just that until he found out that she was in trouble. And he wasn’t stupid enough to think that the visit from a detective was over a brothel. Half the city knew what Cafe Au Natu’relle really was and no one cared. Prosititution was going to happen anyway, so why would police shut down one of the safest and cleanest places in the city where a person could go for paid company?

He  _ knew _ that the police had come sniffing around because of him. The only thing Rey had done wrong was associate with  _ him _ . For that reason alone, even if she wanted nothing to do with him ever again, he needed to protect her for now.

Not only did he need to protect her from the NYPD but she was dangerously close to popping up on Snoke’s radar as well. The police, he could deal with; he’d paid off enough cops in his time and ended the careers of ones too incorruptible. Mayor Snoke, however, was not a person he wanted to reckon with.

When the car pulled up, Kylo didn’t wait for Mitaka to open his door, yanking it open himself and almost stumbling out onto the sidewalk as he unbent his long legs. He heard Hux scrambling out behind him as he entered the cafe, his eyes darting around quickly to see if Rey was in the room. 

Instead, he found his uncle at a table in the corner, casually nibbling on a muffin as though he had not a care in the world. Kylo clenched his fists as he stalked towards the table. Where his family was involved, Kylo knew that it could only mean trouble. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, there you are,” Luke said, with an air of arrogant knowing. “I was wondering when you would show your face.”

“What are you talking about? Why are  _ you _ here? Don’t tell me you’re here for  _ services _ ?” Kylo wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of his bachelor uncle’s sex life. He did  _ not  _ want to know.

“I’m here to see Rey,” Luke replied. “She let me sample her muffin…” Luke’s voice is laced with a playfulness that is both boyish and antagonistic as he makes his innuendo.

Kylo’s blood ran cold at the thought of his uncle touching  _ his _ Rey. Kylo wasn’t foolish enough to think that his uncle was completely celibate and Rey, well, she  _ was _ a prostitute. He shook the thought from his head and gritted his teeth, “You lie…”

“Relax,” Luke rolls his eyes. “I’m talking about these,” he gestures to the basket of muffins on the table. “I’m Rey’s lawyer.”

“Her… lawyer,” Kylo deadpanned -- because of course he was. He had been Maz’s lawyer and the one to call Kylo in to clean up the mess one of the prostitutes had made of Unkar Plutt. He almost felt stupid for getting so angry, especially knowing that Luke had purposely been trying to wind him up.

Luke smirked and gestured to the chair across from him. “I heard that you and Rey had grown rather close. Shame you had to mess things up with your temper,” Luke tutted, shaking his head as he reached for another muffin.

Kylo clenched his jaw, refusing to take the bait, “You’re close with Rey, then? Her confidant? I suppose she ran to you and told you all about how horrible I am?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “I’m her  _ lawyer _ . Not her therapist and certainly not her friend. I’m only trying to help her out.”

“Right,” Kylo spat. “Because you’re so helpful.” Where was that help the first time Kylo had been arrested as a teen? Funny, how it was so important to help when it was anyone but him.

Luke shrugged, “I helped her when she killed Plutt.”

Kylo was about to reach for a muffin, the temptation of Rey’s baked goods was too much to deny, when the words his uncle spoke settled in his brain. Rey. Rey had killed Plutt. 

The gobsmacked expression must have betrayed the fact that he had no idea about Rey’s past. “Oh, she didn’t tell you?” Kylo could hear the smugness in Luke’s voice and it was the same smugness that he wore on his face as he sipped at his tea. “I suppose there’s a lot that she didn’t tell you.”

A strange feeling twisted inside of Kylo as he tried to reconcile what was hearing with what he knew about Rey. Guilt was the first thing he recognized and it made his gut clench as he remembered everything he had said to her -- the accusation of a greedy prostitute killing a man for money. She had said nothing, hadn’t even tried to defend herself from his words. The thought that it had caused her pain to hear him speak so cruelly of her actions -- because he knew that Rey wouldn’t kill a man for money -- made his eyes sting with tears. He blinked them away, refusing to let his uncle see his emotion. Under the table, his fingers dug into his thighs and Kylo embraced the physical pain because it hurt less. 

The guilt was followed quickly by heartache, because he knew that his uncle spoke the truth. There was a lot that Rey never told him and that he’d never asked her about. He’d never asked about her past, about why she’d come into the life she had, about what had happened to make her stop sleeping with men for money.

He could piece together that information now; a scared and vulnerable Rey killing a man in self-defense. A little kitten afraid of men and sex and violence, and when Kylo realized that he had pushed all of those things on her and that was what had sent her into hiding, the pain intensified. He couldn’t fix this.

He could deal with being kept in the dark -- she didn’t owe him any explanations and he’d never asked. He’d coveted her and admired the qualities that she possessed but he’d never asked her how she came to be who she was, that strong beautiful woman who made his heart beat stronger and faster. She was his equal in so many ways, broken and rebuilt, and now he would never know her fully because he understood how unworthy of her he truly was.

He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t hear Rey re-enter the room until her uncle spoke, “Do you have it?”

Kylo looked up and Rey was watching him with wide eyes, like a deer frozen in the headlights and he relaxed his posture, slouching in his chair as shame filled him. He didn’t want to cause her any more fear or pain.

She turned to Luke and swallowed audibly before nodding her head. “Here,” she went out of her way to skirt around Kylo as she placed the mic into Luke’s palm.

“Good, good,” he said, dropping it into his cup of tea. “Now let’s talk about what we’re going to do next.”

Kylo knew that he should leave, that he would never win her back and even if he could, he certainly didn’t deserve her. As he stood, offering her his chair as he leaned against the wall to listen, he promised himself that he would leave her alone as soon as they took care of this situation. That was the least that he could do for the only woman who would ever have his heart.

  
  



	10. Enter Leia Organa

“A bug? Really?” Luke sighed in exasperation as he marched into the office of New York City’s Chief of Police. Getting a meeting with the most highly decorated police officer in New York City was no easy task, but Luke had connections so going straight to the top was no issue for him. He set the ruined microphone on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you have reason to believe my client was going to commit a serious crime? I assume you have the paperwork?”

“Good to see you too, brother,” Leia sighed as she put down the bagel she’d been eating and motioned towards the chair across from hers. “And yes, I would consider prostitution to be a serious crime.”

Luke blew out an exasperated breath and sank down into the chair, “Please. We both know this isn’t about Rey.”

“Ah, is that her name?” Leia asked, feigning indifference.

“She’s a nice kid, Leia,” Luke shot back, crossing his arms and glaring at his sister. “Leave her alone.”

Leia ignored him, instead picking up the microphone and examining it. “Did you put this in coffee? This is very expensive equipment. I hope you know you’ll be getting a bill, Lu-”

“Tea. I put it in a cup of tea,” Luke interrupted her to correct. His grin widened when she narrowed her eyes at him and he shrugged before looking away, “I just want you to leave Rey out of this, ok? If you want to go after your son or Snoke or whoever, then do it. But it has nothing to do with Rey.”

“She’s just a whore,” Leia spoke. 

“She’s a good person,” Luke corrected. “A person who is doing the best she can to get by because of a system that failed her.”

“Oh here we go again with how corrupt the city is,” Leia rolled her eyes dramatically.

“It is!” Luke practically shouted. “It’s why we have a mayor like Snoke. It’s why your son turned to crime. And just because you have an issue with Maz’ place because your ex-husband enjoyed the place doesn’t mean that you can just ruin the lives of a dozen innocent women.”

“Innocent,” Leia scoffed, leaning towards her brother over the desk. “Such an innocent little thing who crawls into bed with a sweet man like  _ Kylo Ren _ , hmm?”

Luke shook his head, “Look at you, Leia. You’re so bent on bringing down Snoke that you don’t even have love left for your own son.”

“My son is dead,” Leia spat, leaning back in her chair and turning to look out the window. 

“He’s not,” Luke argued. “Ben is in there and I’ve seen him.”

Leia looked over at her brother from the corner of her eye, too proud and stubborn to look at him fully, but Luke knew that he had her full attention so he continued, “He loves her, you know.”

Leia turned sharply, “Why am I not surprised? Always was a moron like his father…”

Luke had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at Leia’s jealousy over Han’s past. “Well, regardless of whether it is wise, he does love her. Ben, not Kylo. And if you do anything to hurt her, I guarantee that I will be the least of your worries.” With that, he stood up.

Leia let the conversation drop there but as her brother turned to leave she asked, “Are you coming to Sunday dinner?”

Luke sighed and looked at her over his shoulder, “You know I’ll be there.” Several years had passed since Ben and Han had joined them, but Luke was at Leia’s home every Sunday, rain or shine. As crazy as his sister drove him, for now, they were all the other one had. Leia may have lost all hope, but Luke knew that someday both Han and Ben would return.

*****

When Luke left the diner, citing his need to speak with the chief of police, he’d suggested that Kylo stay and help Rey look for any other potential bugs in her office or around the cafe. Kylo was clever enough to know that Luke was trying to buy him time alone with Rey and while he was grateful for it, he wasn’t sure what to say to her as they searched.

He knew that there was nothing he could say that would make up for everything he’d done to her. No amount of apologies would fix what he’d done, and if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sorry about killing Dryden Vos -- only that he’d scared Rey so horribly by doing so. 

He tried to be subtle as he watched her crouching under her desk and checking in each drawer, but the longing he felt in doing so caused him to stare and when she noticed her entire body stiffened and she skirted around him even more than she had been. He was a monster: he knew it and now Rey did too.

“I don’t see any more,” Rey said quietly as she stood to full height and brushed her hands against the worn out dress she had on and he felt a pang knowing that she’d rather wear something that was falling apart rather than accept a gift from him.

“Me neither,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching in on himself in a pathetic attempt to seem smaller -- anything to make himself less intimidating. “I guess I’ll go then.”

Rey nodded and moved closer, opening her office door and leading him from the room. She relaxed only when they re-entered the cafe and she noticed Rose and Hux standing at the window, whispering about something. “What is it?”

“That undercover cop is staking out the cafe,” Hux said, pointing to a car across the street.

Kylo strode to the window and hovered over Hux’s shoulder to take a look. “Fucking Dameron,” he gritted.

“You know him?” Rey asked, leaning in.

Kylo gave a terse nod, “He’s my mother’s right hand man.”

“Your mother?” Rey asked, looking up at him with furrowed brows.

“Unfortunately, she’s the chief of police,” Kylo told her, turning towards Rey and trying his hardest not to stare at how pink her lips were. It was a tragedy that he’d only gotten to kiss those lips a few times.

Rey’s eyes widened, “She’s… shit.” She brought her hand to her forehead and then began to pace back and forth across the wooden floors as Hux and Rose watched her with a mixture of worry and amusement.”

“Don’t worry,” Kylo assured her. “She’s not after you. She’s after Snoke.”

“Snoke?” Rey stopped and swirled on her heel to face Kylo. “As in the mayor of New York City?”

Kylo nodded again, “It isn’t anything you need to worry about, I promise. I’ll make sure that--”

“That what? That Hux continues babysitting me?” Rey began, her voice rising and when she saw the shocked look on Kylo’s face she added, “I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were,” Kylo defended himself. “You just didn’t want me around and I needed to be sure you were okay.”

“I was okay before you came into the picture,” Rey reminded him. “My life was  _ fine _ until you showed up and now suddenly I’m surrounded by police officers and murder!”

Kylo thought to point out that she’d been around murder before him, but he bit his tongue. His temper had already ruined things with her and he wouldn’t be doing himself any favors by letting it happen a second time. “Was your life fine?” he asked, taking a step closer.

“We should go,” Rose whispered loudly and she had to drag away Hux as he protested that he wanted ‘to see Kylo get the shit slapped out of him’. 

Rey ignored the exchange and narrowed her eyes at Kylo, before hissing through gritted teeth, “Yes. It was.”

Kylo knew that wasn’t true, that Rey hadn’t been happy. How could she be when she’d been forced into prostitution only to then be forced into perpetuating the cycle? How could she be happy when she lived in fear of men? When she so clearly wanted to be loved and yet felt deeply unworthy of it? No, Kylo knew she wasn’t happy before him. “I’m sorry, Rey.” 

And he was sorry for all those things that were out of his control: he couldn’t save her from the prostitution and he couldn’t make her whole. And even sorrier for the things that he could control: for scaring her, for making her believe in him, for not being enough, for dragging her into a mess that she didn’t deserve. When it was laid out so clearly in front of him, how could he even begin to apologize for all of it?

She looked at him with wide eyes, like she hadn’t been expecting an apology at all and it only made him feel even worse. He should have said it sooner. Perhaps he wouldn’t have lost her so completely if he’d been a big enough person to apologize. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

“I… you’re sorry?” Rey repeated, sounding dumbfounded.

“Yes, I’m so sorry, Rey,” he took a step towards her. “I’m sorry for what I said to you in the car. For what I did to Vos and how it killed whatever trust you had in me. I’m sorry that it’ll make it harder for you to trust anyone again. I’m sorry that I scared you. I’m sorry that you deserve the world and I wish I could --”

“Stop,” Rey held up a hand. “Stop talking.”

The words fall from his lips before he can even finish speaking and when he looks at her, her eyes are full of unshed tears that she blinks away. “Sorry,” he says again, quietly as he looks away. If anyone else were to walk in the cafe, they would not believe they were watching one of New York’s biggest mob bosses. Once again, Kylo shrunk in on himself, looking at the floor instead of Rey because he couldn’t stand to see her cry.

She didn’t say anything and when Kylo lifted his head, he saw that she was trying her best to keep herself composed as she thought about what she needed to say. “I.. I appreciate the apology, Kylo, but-”

“I hope we can be friends,” he blurted out because he knew what she was going to say -- that it was already too late for them. “I wasn’t apologizing in the hope that you would take me back. I don’t deserve that.”

If the look of shock she’d worn when he’d apologized had been amusing, this one was even more hilarious -- her mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to work out what to say. “Friends?” she finally settled on.

“Friends,” Kylo agreed and his heart soared at the thought of being able to be close to her in whatever capacity she allowed. “I got you into this mess and I want to help. With whatever you need.”

“And the deal with the hush money?” Rey asked quietly, looking down at the floor.

“There is no hush money,” Kylo told her with a head shake. Now that he knew the truth of what had happened with Plutt, he regretted ever taking the money. One more thing to add to the list of unforgivable shit he’d done to hurt her. When she looked as though she didn’t quite believe him, he added, “Never again, Rey. I promise.”

They both knew that his words didn’t mean much, and why should they? He’d done so many awful things that he didn’t deserve to be trusted. He was crooked and evil and irredeemable and if he’d been talking to anyone but Rey, perhaps they’d laugh at his promise.

But Rey was Rey and she was the best person he knew. Perhaps she knew what it felt like to feel the way he did, useless and rejected and misunderstood, and that was what made her nod her head and say, “Friends, then?”

“Friends,” he agreed.

“Well then, friend. Should we go tell Mr. Dameron to fuck off?” Rey suggested, nodding towards the door.

“I would love that,” he gave her a genuine grin and led the way outside. Rey marched by his side the entire time, her head held high and a fury in her eyes as Kylo knocked on the window.

Dameron, for his part, was pretending to read a book and act surprised before rolling down his window. “Hello…”

“Anything we can help you with?” Kylo asked, leaning against the side view mirror. “Or did you come back for your bug?”

Poe’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected the device to be found so quickly. “I have no idea what you’re talking ab-”

“Oh, save it. I found it two seconds after you left and it’s now in my lawyer’s possession,” Rey cut him off and then gave Poe a glare for good measure.

“She’s smart,” Poe said to Kylo. “I can see why you picked her, although I gotta say the blonde one in there is really much cuter.”

“She knows she’s smart,” Kylo ground out and glanced over at Rey. “How about you tell her that instead of talking about her like she’s not standing right here?”

Poe raised his eyebrows and turned to Rey, “He’s got a temper on him…”

“And you’ve got a mouth on you,” Rey shot back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Maybe if you shut it once in a while, you’d hear a female talk long enough to learn that you’re not God’s gift to the world you smarmy piece of shit.”

At that, Poe threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, I like her.”

Kylo clenched his fist, fighting the urge to punch a police officer. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m just keeping an eye on the place,” Poe shrugged. “I hear a lot of unsavory men hang around here. You know, mob bosses and the like…”

“Don’t you have anything better to do, Dameron? Like licking my mother’s boots?” Kylo glowered.

“Don’t be jealous,” Poe tutted. “I’ll be sure to tell her that I ran into you when I’m at Sunday dinner.”

Kylo reached in to grab Poe but Rey caught his arm and pulled him back, “Come on, Kylo. He isn’t worth it. We’ll let Luke deal with him.”

“How’d it go?” Hux asked with a smirk as they re-entered the cafe.

“He’s an ass,” Rey answered and nudged Kylo towards a table. “I’ll bring you a muffin.”

Rose raised an eyebrow at Hux and followed Rey into the kitchen. “So…”

“So,  _ what _ ?” Rey asked, giving Rose a look that dared her to say something.

“Nothing,” Rose replied, biting back a laugh. “Nice of you to get a muffin for him.”

“He’s a friend,” Rey answered, as if that was all that needed to be said of the situation with Kylo. A week after she’d declared that she  _ never _ wanted to see him again. “Don’t start on me…” she warned.

Rose laughed and raised her hands, “I didn’t say anything.”

Rey would never admit to being as shocked as Rose at how easily she’d forgiven Kylo -- she had too much pride. He’d hurt her more than she’d thought was possible, but he knew what he’d done and had come to her with such vulnerability that it had been impossible to deny that she still wanted him. “He’s just a friend,” Rey muttered again, carrying the plate of muffins from the kitchen. She would give him that much at least.

*****


	11. Awakening

Rey told herself that she wasn’t going to the apartment because she had forgiven Mr. Ren -- forgiveness would be a long road and for now, she was merely tolerating his presence. No, the real reason she had decided to retreat to her apartment was because of Poe Dameron’s continuous appearances. When Rey went grocery shopping, he would conveniently also be “just picking up a few things” despite not living in the same neighborhood. His car was always parked outside of the cafe -- sometimes from the moment she woke up until when she crawled into bed and on more than one occasion, she had caught him _sleeping_ inside his car.

To say that she was paranoid would be an understatement. She knew there had to be more than one planted microphone in Cafe Au Natur’elle -- what else could Poe be doing in the car all day if not listening for information? And if there _was_ another bug, well, Rey couldn’t very well conduct business within earshot of the police department. So, a week had passed where Rey had to turn away every client who walked through the doors and maybe that had been the plan all along: to make Rey so paranoid that she shuttered the whore house for good.

What she was not expecting when she arrived at the apartment though, was to find that all of her houseplants were still alive and thriving -- someone had been watering them for her. When she climbs the stairs to her lofted bedroom, paranoid that someone has been here and might still be here, she only finds that her bedroom closet is full of new clothes and the dressing table has been peppered with bottles of perfume and jewelry in boxes and she knows that it was only Kylo who had been her.

A foreign feeling twisted up inside of her at the thought of Kylo waiting here for her, watering her plants and leaving her gifts in the hope that she might come back to him. She was still trying to process that revelation when she heard a key in the lock and she dropped the silk robe she’d been holding to inch closer towards the stairs.

Kylo Ren entered -- only not like any Kylo she had ever seen. This Kylo wore a pair of jeans and a black sweater and the most ridiculously white pair of sneakers she’d ever seen. His hair looked fresh from the shower -- not the usual perfectly quaffed waves, but something much wilder that made Rey’s heart flutter. She’d be lying if she said the whole look didn’t make her pulse race -- something about seeing him _undone_.

He paused when he spotted her flats in the entryway and only a split second passed before he raised his eyes and saw her standing frozen at the top of the stairs.

“Sorry,” they both squeaked out at the same time.

Rey shook her head, still standing at the top of the stairs. “I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry, I’ll go.” Her footsteps are quiet as she bounced down the stairs, but Kylo stepped in front of her, blocking her path before she could get to the door.

“This is your apartment. You stay,” he said, his voice soft and his eyes softer. “I just came to water the plants.”

It was difficult for Rey to calm herself enough to ask, “You’ve been doing it?”

Kylo nodded and lifted the pitcher he was holding. “Yeah…”

She had known, on some level, that Kylo was behind the upkeep but a part of her held to the belief that he was too busy and too conceited to do the work himself. That Kylo Ren, mafioso, had not sent some lackey to do the work meant that he understood what Rey had not said -- the burden of winning her back was solely his. He would not win her over with money or things or even empty promises. Words didn’t mean anything to her if there was no meaning behind them -- how many times had clients proclaimed their love for her while thinking of some other woman?

Rey wasn’t stupid. She couldn’t be tricked into falling in love with Kylo but she was no longer naive enough to think that she was impervious to catching feelings for the man. Especially when he came to her like this -- a simple man who was trying to do what he could for the woman he...

That foreign feeling bubbled up again and Rey refused to finish the thought. She couldn’t place hope in this man, no matter how she felt in the moment, because she would only end up feeling disappointed. So instead she asked, “Why? Why did you water them?”

Kylo set the pitcher down and looked away, his cheeks burning, “I didn’t want them to die.”

“Why do you care? Why does it matter? What if I never came back?” She pressed and she didn’t know why it was so important for her to know.

“It matters,” Kylo replied and he lifted his eyes to hers as he finished, “And you did come back.”

Rey knew that she wasn’t the only one thinking about what all of this meant. The air was thick and it was hard for her to breathe when he was looking at her like that -- an odd mixture of desperation and desire. His hand twitched and he brought it up, and then as if he thought better, he let it fall back to his side and Rey had to fight back the odd sensation of disappointment.

She wanted him and he wanted her, it was as clear as day; but Rey was stubborn and principled and she knew that it was a bad idea to involve herself with him. She could see his effort, his remorse, but she wasn’t ready to forgive him and certain not ready to trust him. Perhaps he had a piece of her heart already, but that didn’t mean it was a wise plan to just give him the rest. Not now. “I should go.”

“No,” Kylo insisted, taking a step back as if he thought he was the one making her uncomfortable and not all of the feelings she was trying to reign in. “I’ll go.”

“Is this ok?” Rey asked, a little desperately as he backtracks to the door. “Me being here?”

“It’s your apartment, Rey,” Kylo replied gently.

“Even if…” She began, trailing off as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Even if I’m not your lover anymore?”

Kylo looked at her, that same gentle expression until he must have thought of something funny, because the corners of his mouth tugged up into a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “You were never really my lover, Rey.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut. They’d kissed, they’d shared a bed… but he was right -- they were not lovers. He had hoped that she would be and he had showered her with gifts in his efforts to woo her into becoming his mistress but now it seemed he had realized something that not even she had -- Rey couldn’t be bought or won over or wooed. She would not take him into her bed or into her arms for money or security or anything that Kylo had thought to offer her.

Rey could not imagine how he felt, to know that his money and power had gotten him absolutely nowhere with her. What a damage to his ego it must have been and that thought gave Rey a sense of power. But she was not a cruel woman so she cleared her throat before telling him, “Thank you.”

He shook his head. “Anything for you, Rey.”

She had nothing to say to that so she turned away and picked up the pitcher, watering the philodendron next to the couch. She heard him open the door and before leaving he said, “If you need anything I’m on the 30th floor.”

Rey froze and by the time she turned around, Kylo was already gone. This was his building? Of course, she realized with a shake of her head, he would keep his mistress as close as possible. It wasn’t that she was _angry_ \-- not that they were under the same roof -- but it was upsetting that he had never mentioned that her apartment was in the same building as his own.

With a sigh, Rey finished watering the plants and plopped down onto the cream colored sofa, still thinking about Kylo and what he was doing all those floors above her. She remembered the jeans and the fitted sweater -- how it had made her feel for one moment to see him as just a man. He had looked so good and she wondered if that was how he felt every time he’d dressed her up in designer clothes.

She leaned her head back and propped her feet up on the coffee table, closing her eyes. Kylo Ren was such a confusing man, or perhaps it was just her feelings for him that were confusing. Even more confusing was the way, without even consciously thinking about it, Rey’s fingers had inched under her dress and into the waistband of her panties.

How long had it been since she touched herself? Rey wondered as her middle finger slides between her nether lips and circles her clit in feather light touches. Her breath catches in her throat as her arousal begins to build softly and gently and she still hears Kylo’s words ringing in her ears: “Anything for you, Rey.”

She hums and slides her fingers lower, through the slick moisture gathering at her entrance and drags them back up, rubbing her fingers harder against her clit. She remembered the power she held over him and wondered if there was anything in the world that he wouldn’t do if she asked. If Plutt was still alive, would he kill him for her?

It sent a thrill through her to think of that, and she knew she should feel guilty for thinking it and even guiltier for the way she was getting off thinking about it. But she didn’t feel guilty. She refused to feel guilty as her mind drifted back to Kylo and she imagined it was his finger sliding back and forth across her engorged clit.

Or better yet, his tongue flicking over it, suckling on it like a treat and her moan turned to a laugh as she imagined calling _him_ a kitten as he laved his tongue over her most sensitive places.

Twelve weeks. Three months since Rey has pleasured herself like this and while it had always been a perfunctory task to take the edge off or because of simple boredom -- this was different.

She never took pleasure with her clients -- it was easier to disconnect from the experience when she wasn’t chasing after release and to be honest, she had never been with a man who had cared about her pleasure. She didn’t watch porn when she did it either because watching two actors putting on a show did nothing for her libido. She knew what it felt like to be those women, sprawled out and making artificial noises of pleasure even when it was too rough or too fast or when being bent into ridiculously complex poses. It was designed for a man’s pleasure, not hers.

And yet, here, just thinking about how Kylo had watered her fucking plants; had told her that he would do anything for her -- somehow that made her hornier than she could ever remember feeling.

It wasn’t like she _wanted_ to be spread open on the sofa, she thought, as she shoved her panties down to her knees so she could finally push a finger into her sopping cunt. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she thought about Kylo, up in his apartment. She wondered if he was still wearing his street clothes, or maybe he was undressing right that minute and Rey’s throat went dry, causing her moan to sound more like a whimper as she pictures his wide back and muscled stomach.

Maybe he had decided, like her, to seek relief. Rey’s face flushed, maybe out of embarrassment or maybe because she was too aroused, as she tried to picture what he would look like. If the size of his body was any indication, she knew that he had to be huge, and she imagines his massive hand wrapped around his thick cock, which had to be red and angry looking while he thought of her.

She shivered and _hoped_ that he thought of her. A second finger and a third quickly slid in and it was no longer Kylo’s face she imagined between her legs, but his hips and thighs and his powerful cock. The imagine her brain conjures up, of him rocking steadily and somehow gently into her body, his face so wonderfully soft, was too much.

She cried out and her hips undulated as her walls clenched around the three fingers that were still shallowly pulsing in and out of her body. Her orgasm turned her body to jelly and it took a solid minute for her to even feel her limbs again and when she did, she pulled her dress down to cover herself.

When the expected feelings of guilt didn’t bubble up, Rey refocused her attention on the ceiling and again thought of Kylo. She should be angry with him for forcing her to feel all of these things, but she didn’t. She should feel angry that he came in here when he’d promised that she held the only key, but she didn’t.

Rey was weak, and as much as she tried to be strong, she wasn’t. Not when it came to Kylo Ren. But at least she could see clearly now that she was not the only weak one -- she held the same power over him and that made her trust in his actions more than she knew she should.

She contemplated falling asleep because she could not remember the last time her body had felt so relaxed, but she knew that she had things she needed to do. She pulled her damp underwear up and decided to take a shower before she got down to business -- she would not be able to think about anything but the stickiness between her thighs.

She grabbed a change of clothes from her well-stocked closet, a pair of leather leggings and an oversized camel colored cashmere sweater, and headed to the bathroom. When she saw the huge tub and well-stocked cabinet, she contemplated a long soak but she didn’t trust herself to keep from touching herself again in such a scenario.

After a hot shower, she towel dried her hair and pinned it up into a messy bun, and called Luke. He had told her that he was on retainer and she hadn’t heard anything from him since he’d taken the bug down to the police station. If anyone knew how to get rid of Poe Dameron, surely it would be him.

While she waited for his arrival, she decided to test out the breadmaker which had somehow appeared on the counter since she’d last been here.

*****

Kylo Ren felt on edge -- knowing that Rey was just a few floors down, alone and looking so beautiful… well, it was hard to concentrate on anything. He had said too much today, he knew that, and he didn’t particularly like feeling so vulnerable. A few weeks ago, he would have been angry, prostrating himself the way he was for a _whore_.

But Rey was not a whore and he cringed to think of what he’d said to her in the car on their last date. If he hadn’t been such a prideful idiot, she might still be his. In a way, he knew that she was his, he could feel that she was coming around and that made him feel antsy. He wanted to do something more, a grand gesture, but he knew that wouldn’t win her over. She’d made it clear enough that apologies and gifts wouldn’t make her fall into his arms.

Slow and steady would win the race.

He’d told himself that he didn’t deserve her, and that was still true. But he wanted her so much that it was hard to think about anything else -- even more so when she was so near.

Work, he decided. He needed to find some kind of work to do to distract himself from Rey’s proximity. There was nothing pressing on his schedule and he could laze around all day -- or he could use all this simmering energy to work on securing funds for Snoke’s next election, which may or may not revolve around threatening some of the city’s wealthiest citizens into contributing to the campaign.

Kylo went to his bedroom, exchanging the casual look for one of his best suits, and sent a message to Mitaka to pick him up. By the time he made it to the lobby, he was so absorbed in setting up a meeting that he almost missed his uncle. It was only the shabby tweed jacket, which was so out of place in the building, that made him glance up from his phone. “Luke,” he ground out.

“Oh, hey. On my way up to see Rey,” he informed Kylo. “Off to see the mayor?”

Kylo clenched his jaw and ignored the question, “What is wrong with Rey?”

“Officer Dameron is tailing her,” Luke sighed. “Despite me asking your mother to back off.”

Kylo scoffed, “Did you think that Leia Organa listens to reason? Of course she’s got her little sycophants after Rey.” He dropped all pretenses of leaving the building and followed Luke into the elevator.

“I love my sister, but she’s coming unhinged,” Luke said. “Thanks in no part to our dear mayor.”

“I’d be careful, if I were you,” Kylo warned. He was under no impression that Snoke was a good man, but Kylo worked hard to keep the mayor’s pockets lined and his shady dealings under the table. Where Leia was determined to bring Mayor Snoke down, he knew that she would throw anyone under the bus -- her own son and now Rey. “If you’re not careful, she’ll turn on you too.”

Luke sighed, “She still loves you, you know. It’s the only reason you’re not in jail.”

“Right,” Kylo rolled his eyes. “She would put me in jail if she could catch me doing something. That’s why she’s going after Rey.”

“Well, that and because of your dad’s fondness of Cafe Au Natu’relle,” Luke sent his nephew a shit eating grin.

Kylo’s face fell and it hadn’t even occurred to him that his own dad could have been one of Rey’s clients. His stomach churned at the thought and Luke barked out a laugh, “Relax. He stopped going there years ago. I don’t think he’s been in the city since Rey’s been working there.”

As the elevator doors opened and both men stepped out onto the 14th floor, Kylo took comfort in knowing that Han Solo was living like a hermit somewhere upstate. Still, when Rey opened the door, the first words out of Kylo’s mouth were, “Do you know Han Solo?”

Luke snickered and when Kylo glared, the older man covered it with a cough, though his expression looked gleefully amused. “No. Who is that?” Rey asked, her brows furrowing as she held the door open.

Both Luke and Kylo entered, and Kylo answered, “Nevermind.”

Rey shrugged and led them into the apartment. “What are you doing here?”

“I want to help,” Kylo answered honestly. “If you’re being harassed, it’s my fault. If there’s anything I could do…”

“How do I get them off my back? I’ve had the cafe shuttered for a week now because I am so paranoid to get a solicitation charge…” Rey explained as she made all three of them a cup of coffee and set down a plate of steaming banana bread.

Luke helped himself immediately, buttering a piece of the bread and shoving it into his mouth as he said, “The easiest fix…” he chewed and swallowed before continuing, “is to find a new location.”

Rey frowned as she sipped from her cup. “I can’t. I can’t lose the cafe… it was Maz’s pride and joy. Besides, I don’t have the money to start over again.”

Kylo bit his tongue. He wanted to shake her and tell her that she didn’t owe Maz a damn thing. It made his stomach ache to think about how loyal she was to the woman who had pushed her into selling her body to any Tom, Dick or Harry for a roof over her head. To call a brothel, where young women slept with strangers in order to survive, her ‘pride and joy’ made Kylo sick. He was not a good person and had done equally terrible things -- but he was also not foolish enough to take pride or joy in his work.

Instead, he offered the only thing he could, “I can help with money.”

“No,” Rey said right away. “I don’t want to take your money. If I can’t pay it back…”

“It’s not a loan,” Kylo argued. “You don’t have to pay me back.”

“Great,” Luke said, taking another bite. “That’s settled then. I can look into some properties later this week…”

Rey gave Kylo a look like she wanted to argue, but instead she looked away and after swallowing her pride she said, “Thank you.”

Kylo just shook his head and grabbed a piece of banana bread, taking a bite and telling Rey, “This is really good,” which was as close to ‘I love you’ as he was allowed to say. He would hold back his feelings until she was ready to share hers and in the meantime, he would take care of her in any way that he could.


	12. A Realization

Rey spent most of her time over the next few days at the apartment Kylo rented her. Her pride over not accepting his gifts had vanished especially when, after spending three straight days away from Cafe Natur’elle, Finn had called to report that Poe’s car was no longer stationed on the street outside.

She brought her computer and her accounting books with her and worked from the kitchen in her apartment, perfectly content to lie low until Poe Dameron and the New York City Police were off her back. And if she slept better knowing that Kylo was nearby or took comfort whenever she got onto the elevator and smelled his lingering cologne, well, no one really needed to know that.

Not once had she seen him in the flesh in the days that she’d agreed to borrow the money (which she did have every intention of paying back), but she knew that he was around. A week ago, it would have made her uneasy and when she thought about what he’d said to her and what he’d done to Dryden Vos, she still couldn’t fully forgive him. But…

She wasn’t scared of him. He was dangerous, yes, but so was she. His words had cut her deep, but she had been scratching and clawing at him since day one. Wasn’t it only a matter of time before he blew up at her?

He wouldn’t do it again, she knew. Perhaps it was foolish to trust his apology so easily, but she had no reason  _ not _ to trust it. Words didn’t mean much to Rey -- she’d had men declare their love for her in the heat of the moment but that’s all it was, a passing moment. For Rey, actions spoke louder than words. And Kylo Ren had been taking care of her in his own way, this whole time.

When her phone started to ring, Rey had to shake herself out of her Kylo-centered daydreaming to answer. “Hello?”

“Rey? It’s Luke. I have a few leads on a new location. Are you free today?”

In truth, she was more than free -- she had just been watching recipe videos and drinking cup after cup of tea. “Sure. Where do you want me to meet you?”

He recited an address and Rey quickly jotted it down in her notebook. “I’ll be there in a half hour.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and bring my idiot nephew, would you? If you find a place you like, we’ll need his checkbook,” Luke reminded her and before Rey could even protest, her lawyer had already hung up.

Rey scowled down at the phone. It was one thing to daydream about Kylo and the possibility of forgiving him, but it was another thing completely to have to actually go to his door and bring him with her. That meant having to face him and ask for his help  _ and  _ spending the thirty minute trek to meet Luke alone together.

As she grabbed her purse and waited for the elevator, she thought about the possibility that Kylo would be too busy to come. He had his own things to do and it was selfish of her to ask, especially after she rebuked him. When the doors opened, she moved to take a step inside and froze when she saw Kylo already there, in a trademark suit, and typing away at something on his phone. “Hello.”

He looked up from his phone, eyebrows furrowed, but his face softened when he noticed who had joined him. “Rey.”

“Are you busy?” she asked as the elevator continued its trek down to the lobby.

“A little.” He slid his phone into his pocket and looked at her, “Do you need something?”

“Um,” she shifted uncomfortable, looking down at the elevator floor. “Luke is taking me to look at buildings and he wanted me to ask you to come along. But if you’re busy, it’s not a big deal.”

“I can come,” Kylo answered, almost too eagerly.

“Are you sure? You seem busy and I don’t want to keep you from--”

He cut her off with a steady look and gentle voice, “I’m not doing anything that can’t wait a few hours.”

Rey nodded and couldn’t help the blush creeping up her neck when he kept speaking to her so gently and giving her such adoring looks. Lately, he was making it hard to be angry with him. “Thank you.”

The elevator reached the lobby and when the doors opened, he held them for Rey. “Mitaka is waiting outside so I’ll have him drive us to save time.”

Rey nodded and followed Kylo out of the building, climbing into the back seat and making room for his large body. The last time she’d been in this car, Kylo had been calling her a whore and, as if he was recalling the same thing, he looked away sheepishly and she caught sight of the pinkened tips of his ears.

Luckily, she was spared having to make small talk as Kylo typed away on his phone, probably cancelling all kinds of afternoon plans, so she turned her attention out the window as the inched closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. Rey gave Mitaka directions and when they pulled up in front of the building, Luke was standing outside, wearing his signature tweed jacket and a pair of chocolate brown slacks.

Kylo was the first to step out of the car and his uncle was giving him an amused look as Rey climbed out after him. “What? Didn’t you ask me to be here?”

Luke shrugged and agreed, “Well, I did. I just expected you to be busier with something else at noon on a Wednesday.”

Kylo’s face turned pink and he exhaled a burst of air from his nose, like he was angry but reigning it in. “Are we here to see a building?”

Luke gave Rey a secretive smile and eye roll as Kylo charged into the building, “You’ve got him wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”

“No,” she tried to say, but it was useless because even she realized that Kylo had ditched all of his real plans to be here with her. When the argument fell short, her mouth snapped closed and rather than walking past Luke in the haughty manner that Kylo had, she hides her blush and rushes in.

Inside, Kylo was already knocking on walls and kicking at loose floorboards like some kind of building inspector and Rey heard Luke snort behind her. “It used to be an antique shop,” Luke supplied helpfully as Rey looked around. There was a counter for a cash register and behind that, a small office area.

On the opposite wall, after pushing open a door, Rey saw a large stock room area and her heart sank. With no kitchen, there would be no cafe.

Luke strolled behind Rey, his hands in his pockets. “I thought I’d show you this one first because it really is the best deal. The upstairs has five bedrooms and the office here is much bigger than the one at Cafe Au Natur’elle.”

Rey swallowed the lump in her throat, “This is the only one?”

“Well there are others, but one of them will need to be completely rewired and the other only has two rooms upstairs,” Luke explained. “This one is really the best bet.”

Rey nodded and looked at Kylo, “Is that ok?”

“If that’s what you want, Rey,” Kylo said evenly, shoving his hands in his pockets. Rey could appreciate that he was leaving the choice up to her, but it looked like he wanted to argue.

“I just want this whole mess to be finished,” Rey sighed. The thought of having Poe Dameron following her around for any longer made her skin crawl. “This is fine. Perfect.”

“Good. Great. We’ll just pop down to the real estate office and get the paperwork all signed,” Luke suggested.

Rey nodded, her chest tight with unease. She was losing the one place she’d called home, the place filled with memories of Maz, who had foolishly trusted Rey to keep the business safe and afloat. She’d been in charge for such a small amount of time and was already in over her head. The only thing that had kept her sane in all the years of working as a hooker and now as a madam, was the fact that she could let off steam in that cramped little kitchen at the cafe. 

She didn’t want to say goodbye to the cafe, to all of her memories. She’d already had to say goodbye to Maz, she was certain that Rose would be leaving her behind soon enough, she’d lost the hope she’d had of whatever had been blossoming between her and Kylo, her whole sense of security disappeared the moment cops came sniffing around and now she didn’t have her baking to cope with all of that. How much more would Rey have to lose before she broke?

She climbed into the car silently, squished between Kylo and Luke, and tried to turn off her brain. This was for the best; it was what Maz would have done. The girls would be safer here and business could go back to normal. When they pulled up to the realtor’s office, Kylo took Rey’s elbow and leaned down to whisper, “Are you sure about this?”

Rey nodded and gave him a small smile, trying her best to ignore the stinging in her eyes and the way the corners of her mouth were desperately trying to pull downwards. “Yes.”

He didn’t believe her and Rey could tell but he let go of her arm and followed Luke into the office. The entire process was quick -- within an hour all the papers had been signed and the check had been cut.

By the time Rey got to the cafe, a moving truck had already pulled into the alley and parked behind the building -- out of view of the main street and any cops that could potentially be watching -- and Kylo’s men were loading all kinds of furniture aboard.

The girls stood in the doorway, barking orders at the men to be careful with dressers and bed frames and Rey glanced warily at Kylo, because only he could be behind this. “We can take it from here,” she said, but Kylo shook his head.

“I’ve already rescheduled my meetings and we have nothing better to be doing,” he shrugged and moved around her to go into the building. Rey wanted to argue, to pull him out by the arm and tell him to mind his own business, but she was too tired to fight. Besides, what would be the point when everything in her life was tied so intimately to Kylo Ren?

When she got inside, she had to shrink against a wall as two men squeezed down the hallway with a mattress, and she followed Kylo’s retreating back into her office. “What are you doing?”

“Helping pack,” he said, nodding towards a box on the desk.

“I can do it,” Rey said quickly, trying to nudge Kylo away as he opened her desk drawer.

His eyes had already landed on what she’d hope to keep secret from him -- the stack of letters he’d written to her when she’d refused to speak to him, all in a neat little pile and tied off with a silk ribbon. It was clear to anyone who looked that they’d been read several dozens of times and that they held sentimental value and Rey had thought that by keeping them in her desk, no one would ever know. 

She snatched them from her desk, holding them behind her back in a desperate attempt to pretend that they didn’t exist or that the writer of said love letters wasn’t standing right next to her. “I don’t need help…” she gritted out before slamming the drawer shut. She couldn’t look at Kylo but she knew he was watching her and she hated how hot her face felt as a result.

“Rey,” he said gently but she took a step back.

“Don’t…” she warned and all but threw the letters in the box on her desk.

Kylo was smart enough not to say anything, but he didn’t leave. It was as if seeing the letters had given him a boost of confidence and she could almost  _ feel _ how smug he was as he started filling the box with books and framed pictures.

When she finished cleaning out a drawer, she ventured a look at him and wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. It was obvious to her now what a foolishly sentimental decision it had been to keep the damned letters and she should have known it would come back to bite her in the ass. 

Finally, it seemed he had enough of the silence and said, “You don’t need to be embarrassed about it.”

Rey said nothing, but she ignored him pointedly by turning her nose up and making a dismissive noise. She was smart enough to know that he was baiting her into talking about the love letters and she would have none of that.

“It makes me happy that you kept them,” he continued and this time he walked around her desk, putting himself directly in her line of sight.

“Oh, good. Because I did it to make  _ you _ happy,” she snarked and turned, giving him the cold shoulder as she yanked the last drawer open.

He had the nerve to chuckle as he took a step closer. “I know you didn’t do it for my sake, but I’m glad anyway.” When he got no reply, he started rearranging the items in the box, making more room as Rey started shoving papers in along the sides of the box. Finally, he asked, “So why did you keep them?”

She didn’t answer because it was too humiliating to admit that she’d kept them because they made her feel good. Because she was just a whore and never in her life had she dared to hope someone would feel about her the way Kylo did, if what he wrote in the letters was true. All these years, she’d told herself that she wasn’t worthy of love and that no one would ever want her. Even if she didn’t believe in Kylo anymore, it didn’t make his words any less moving.

“I meant them,” Kylo said as if he could read her mind. “Every word. You have to know how I feel about you.” He took a step closer, so that his chest was pressed against her shoulder and with a finger, he gently guided her face to look up at him. “That’s not going to change, no matter how angry with me you are. Rey, I lo-”

Hux chose that moment to fling the door open and Rey jumped away. “Boss, we’re ready to go…”

“Hux,” Kylo said through gritted teeth, “Don’t you know how to knock?”

Rey grabbed the box from the desk and squeezed past Hux, who was standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face. She didn’t want to hear the end of that sentence because she didn’t know what she would do if he actually said the words out loud. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe and she practically launched herself into the alley for a breath of fresh air.

Things had been so much simpler when she’d told herself she wasn’t worthy of love. At least then, she didn’t have to deal with the pain of knowing someone loved her but being too afraid to return it.

*****

Kylo’s men hadn’t finished moving in all of the furniture until well after midnight, but Rey couldn’t complain too much. The entire move would have taken days without their help and though she hated relying on others, she would have been in over her head if not for the assistance. And it had all been done under the cover of night and with the police being none the wiser. 

It was strange to think how Cafe Au Natu’relle had been operating as a brothel for over eighty years and yet, in twenty four hours, everything had been packed up and carried away.

For the most part, all of the heavy lifting was done; the men had put the furniture in its rightful place and now all that remained was unpacking boxes and suitcases. If everything continued to go this smoothly, she’d be able to start taking customers again in a couple of days. The sooner income started coming in, the sooner she could pay Kylo back.

She groaned, an arm flopping over her face dramatically as she tossed and turned in bed. Everything came back to that damned man. She replayed their last conversation, what he’d been planning on saying to her and it took all of her control to ignore that warm feeling coiling at the pit of her stomach.

That was part of the problem, she was sure. She shouldn’t have gotten off thinking about him because now her body and her heart were working in cahoots against every ounce of common sense in her brain. Kylo was dangerous and she knew this, and yet, she couldn’t help feeling drawn to him.

She wished he were just a normal man -- someone she could fall for like a normal girl. Someone who would take care of her and love her and make her feel special and most importantly,  _ safe. _ But then, she wasn’t a normal girl and no normal man would ever look twice at someone like her. She was dirty and used and uneducated. She had no real skills or redeeming qualities.

Her self-pity was interrupted as she heard a loud bang downstairs, and she shot up in bed. She’d told the girls to sleep in, but maybe someone had decided to make an early start on unpacking downstairs. Either that or someone had broken in…

She threw the blankets off of her bed and grabbed the silk robe Kylo had gifted her, wrapping it tightly around her body. This was the first night in over a week that she hadn’t slept at the apartment Kylo had gifted her and she was already regretting the decision.

As she crept into the hallway and towards the stairs, she heard several loud voices and wondered if perhaps Kylo’s men had forgotten something so she hurried down the stairs and ground to a halt at the sight of all kinds of tools and equipment being dragged in by construction workers. “What’s going on here?”

“Are you Rey?” one of the men asked, walking towards her with a clipboard.

She nodded and blinked as he handed the clipboard over. “Mr. Ren hired us to renovate the storage room into a kitchen. I just need you to sign off that the stove and refrigerator have been delivered.”

Her mouth went dry as she nodded and signed the papers. Her sleep addled brain was busy trying to catch up with the situation. “Renovate?”

He nodded and glanced down at his work order, “Yeah, he said this is supposed to be a cafe and that the kitchen space would need to be built from scratch. The foundation is good so it should only take a couple of days to get everything set up as long as…”

Rey’s mind tuned out the man’s explanation as it tried to make sense of everything. How had Kylo known that she’d been sad about the lack of kitchen space? Her sadness had been so childish and pitiful in the grand scope of things, that she’d purposely not said anything about it. Was she so obvious?

Luke had said nothing and she’d put on a brave face as they’d signed the papers. She’d been happy enough that the girls had a safe roof over their heads once more, and because it was her fault that they had to move, she wouldn’t say a word about her selfish desire to be able to bake.

But Kylo had known, somehow, and had gone the extra mile to do this for her. Her heart felt so full to bursting, not just because of his generosity, but because he understood her.

It was clear to Rey now -- Kylo Ren understood her in a way that no one ever had and he loved her despite who she was.

*****

  
  



	13. First Valentine

Rey spent exactly one night in her room in the new building. She told Rose and Finn that it was simply because she couldn’t concentrate or sleep with all the construction going on downstairs, but she wasn’t completely out of touch with her feelings. 

The truth was simple -- she felt safer knowing that Kylo was only a few floors above her. She liked being in the apartment, with all the personal touches that he had added for her. He knew her better than she was willing to admit because there wasn’t a single part of the apartment that wasn’t perfect and whenever she thought of something she might want or need -- like the breadmaker -- it had the habit of manifesting itself in the space.

She was tired of being afraid of Plutt and Poe and men in general. She’d wanted to be angry at Kylo for everything and yet, at the end of the day, she was drawn to him in a way that was becoming difficult to deny. She slept better in the apartment, knowing how close Kylo was. Maybe some part of her had always felt that way with him and her heart was finally standing up to her stubborn brain. 

Kylo loved her. What other reason could he have for doing everything he did for her? It was overwhelming to think about how much he wanted to care for her, he’d said as much from the very beginning, but even now when she offered nothing but friendship in return,

She wanted more than friendship -- that much was clear from the sheer amount of times she’d gotten off thinking about Kylo and his hands and lips and most of all, his cock. She remembered the conversation she’d had with Rose weeks ago about being horny and it had seemed like such an impossibility at the time. She’d never had pleasurable sex, never felt compelled to masturbate and now she spaced out several times each day as she fantasized about one singular man and all the ways he could satisfy her.

The cynic in her thought that maybe she was setting herself up for disappointment -- no man had ever brought her to orgasm and Kylo Ren would probably be no different. But where that should have disappointed her, it  _ didn’t _ . This was Kylo and he loved her and if it didn’t happen the first time, she knew he would try again because the difference between him and every other man she’d been with was that he  _ wanted _ to please her.

_ That _ had been a shocking revelation to a woman who had gone over twenty years without ever experiencing love.

The problem, even though she was openly admitting to herself multiple times a day that he had feelings for her and she returned them on some level, was that she had no idea what to do about it. When she thought about sharing her feelings with him, she didn’t even know where to start or what was scarier -- admitting that she returned his feelings or admitting to his smug face that he turned her on.

Sitting around in the apartment, thinking about Kylo floors above her wasn’t helping the situation. She’d imagined him doing shirtless situps or showering or cooking too many times and it always turned her brain to mush. What she really needed was fresh air; air that wasn’t circulating through the same vents as Kylo’s.

She grabbed her coat and purse and stepped out into the hall to wait for the elevator and for the second time that week, when the doors opened, there was Kylo Ren. “Oh, hi…” she greeted as she stepped onto the elevator and she tried not to be obvious as she breathed in his cologne.

“Rey,” he says, turning his attention from his phone to her and he looked happy to see her for a split second before his face crumpled in concern. “Is something wrong with the new building?”

“No, no. It’s great,” Rey assures him. “I just like it better here,” the words are soft and shy but when she meets Kylo’s eyes, his expression mirrors her emotions. She thinks he looks like a teddy bear.

“Oh, Okay. Yeah, I’m glad,” he said and when the elevator doors opened in the lobby, ever the gentleman, he held the doors open for her.

“I never got a chance to thank you. For the kitchen,” Rey supplied, trying desperately to come up with a way to prolong their conversation for a few more minutes.

“Oh,” Kylo blushed, as if he hadn’t expected Rey to call him out on the kind thing he’d done for her and Rey thought that he looked cute all flustered and tongue-tied.

“Can I make you dinner?” Rey asked, quickly adding on, “As a thank you?” 

“You don’t have to,” Kylo protested. “I didn’t do it because I wanted something from you.” His desperation to make that point was almost sweet, but Rey didn’t really care.

“I want to,” she insisted. “Are you free tonight?”

“Tonight?” Kylo asked carefully, stopping mid-stride to look at Rey.

Rey nodded and tried to keep from fidgeting. He looked so confused that she wondered if he didn’t  _ want _ to have dinner with her. “It’s okay if you’re not…” Rey added, hoping that she hadn’t completely come to the wrong conclusions about Kylo’s feelings. Maybe the ship had already sailed?

“I want to,” the words tumbled out of his mouth in a garbled mess, almost like he’d momentarily forgotten. “Yes. Tonight. What time?”

The smile that he gave her was full of such happiness that Rey couldn’t help but return it. She hadn’t misread him at all. “Is seven ok?” She was aware of how shy she sounded and part of her hated how vulnerable it made her feel but Kylo’s smile softened and when he put a hand on top of her head, she couldn’t help but lean up on her toes towards him.

“Seven is perfect.” His hand slid from atop her head, cupping her cheek softly and it took everything she had not to sigh into the touch. No use giving him one more reason to call her kitten (even if she secretly liked it).

“Okay,” Rey nodded, missing the warmth of his hand as it fell from her cheek. “It’s a date.”

“Yes. Yes, it is,” Kylo returned and reluctantly took a step away. “I should get going.”

“See you tonight,” Rey waved as Kylo approached his waiting car and she could swear that Mitaka was hiding a smirk as he closed the door once his boss was safely inside. She watched the car pull away and then adjusted her purse strap -- she had shopping and a menu to figure out.

*****

Rey spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for her date with Kylo. With no idea where the night might lead, she had to pick up all of her dirty clothes from the floor and change her bedsheets. 

With the amount of time she’d spent thinking about Kylo in the past week, part of her was hoping that it would end in bed and the other part of her was so terrified of being disappointed in the actual sex that she was tempted to cancel the entire date. The more logical part of her brain knew that Kylo would never try to make her do something that she wasn’t ready for so she decided that she would see where the night took them.

When she finished cleaning, she stood at her kitchen counter, staring at her phone. She had decided on a full five course meal and now the weight of the decision was making her regret every life choice she’d made up until this point. She tackled the cheesecake first, because baking was in her comfort zone, and by the time she was finished preparing the rest of dinner, she barely had time to get shower and get dressed before her doorbell rang.

When she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was how nervous Kylo looked and the second thing she noticed was the bouquet of peonies in his hand. They stared at one another just a beat too long and then Kylo offered the flowers. “For you.”

“Thank you,” Rey blushed as she took the bouquet and held the door open for him.

“It smells wonderful,” he commented as he followed Rey to her kitchen. She had no vases for the flowers so she pulled a glass pitcher from the shelf and then placed it on the table -- Kylo following after her like a puppy the entire time.

“Can you open this?” She offered him the bottle of wine and the corkscrew and as he took it, she went to the kitchen to pull her bowls of french onion soup from the broiler.

When she made it back to the table, Kylo had already poured them each a glass and when she set his bowl of soup in front of him, she couldn’t help but feel pleased by the impressed look he gave her. As she returned to her own seat, she could only hope it tasted as good as it looked.

Rey thought, as she brought out salad and then lobster tails and finally a couple of steaks cooked medium rare, that she had done an excellent job for it being her first time making almost every course of the meal. “It’s probably not as good as what you’re used to,” she told him as he praised his meal.

“It’s better,” he insisted earnestly as he finished every last bite of his meal and they both knew that he was only saying it because she’d been the one to make it, but it still made her feel happy that he liked it.

She was confident in her baking skills so when she set a perfectly cut slice of cheesecake in front of him, she knew that he wouldn’t have to lie about it -- hers was the best on this side of Manhattan, hands down.

“Can I ask you a question?” he posed as they both began eating their dessert.

“Sure,” Rey shrugged and she watched as he shifted in his chair.

“Why don’t you go legit with your business?”

Rey frowned, “What do you mean?”

He hesitated and Rey knew she wasn’t going to particularly like what he said next. “I mean, you have the space for a real bakery and you’re talented. Why don’t you close the brothel and do something that will make you happier?”

Of course, she’d thought about it. A million times since Maz had passed away and left the business to her. But what would the rest of the girls do? They needed a way to make a living and she couldn’t selfishly just do what she wanted without thinking about them. Sure, maybe Rose could help. In fact, she’d be happy to help when it would ease the strain on her relationship with Hux. But in the end, a little bakery wouldn’t make enough to keep the electricity on, to feed a dozen mouths and keep a roof over all of their heads. 

Besides, what if she failed? What if her baking wasn’t as good as she thought? What if she turned Kaydel and Rose and everyone else out onto the street to pursue what she wanted only for it to be a colossal flop? No -- Maz had left her in charge because she trusted Rey and Rey wouldn’t let her down.

In reply, Rey waved her hand dismissively, “I’m just a home-baker. It’s not good enough for people to pay me for…”

Kylo opened his mouth to protest and she hoped the look she gave him was desperate enough to make him back off. She didn’t want to start this fight tonight, or at all. She just wanted to enjoy this dinner and his company. His mouth snapped shut and his brows furrowed as Rey watched him lift another bite of cheesecake to his mouth. When he swallowed, his features softened as he told her, “I think you’re good enough.”

Rey blushed but she was pleased when he didn’t press the subject any further. When they’d both finished, Rey cleared the table and Kylo helped her load the dishwasher. “Do you want to stay a bit longer? We could watch a movie or…?” Rey offered, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as he loaded the last of the rinsed dishes into the washer.

“Sure,” Kylo agreed. “I’m going to go use the bathroom first.”

Rey nodded and watched him leave and then dimmed the lights in her apartment before settling onto the couch and grabbing the remote. This was a date and definitely not just a thank you dinner, Rey told herself, and although her actual date experience was limited to the few she’d already had with Kylo, she knew that fooling around was the typical way to end one.

Her heart fluttered nervously as Kylo returned to the living room and sat next to her on the couch. “What are we watching?”

Rey was distracted by how close he’d sat next to her, his thigh pressed against hers and she could feel the heat coming off his body and he was making it difficult to decide on anything to watch. “Is there something you want to watch?”

Kylo shook his head but took the remote when she offered it to him and she hid her smile as he put on The Great British Baking Off. She’d seen every episode but it tickled her to no end knowing that he’d only picked it because she might enjoy it. The thought alone gave her enough confidence to take his hand and rest her head against his shoulder as they watched.

She wasn’t all  _ that _ interested in the show and they were only five minutes into the first episode when her mind started to wander. What she really wanted was for Kylo to kiss her the way he used to -- the way that made it hard to think about how she was just a whore, how she didn’t deserve love; the way that made her want to be held and touched like she was precious.

Rey didn’t know how to initiate that. Sex, she could do. It would be easy to just reach over and unbuckle his belt and take him into her mouth or her hand or even climb on top of him and sink down, but the brusqueness of it all paled in comparison to the steamy fantasies she’d been having. She wanted the slow kisses and the gentle caresses and the chance to fully explore one another. For the first time ever, Rey wanted to be made love to and the thought alone made her hide her face against his bicep in embarrassment.

“What’s wrong?” Kylo asked and Rey shook her head.

“Nothing!”

“Why are you hiding your face? Do angel food cakes scare you?” he teased and Rey shook her head again. “What then?” Rey mumbled her response against Kylo’s arm and she knew that it was unintelligible when he asked again, “You what?”

Rey turned her head, but refused to meet his eyes as she finally admitted, “I want you to kiss me.”

She felt Kylo’s arm muscles stiffen and then he exhaled a breath from his nose that turned into a laugh. “Oh.”

Rey felt stupid. She shouldn’t have admitted that; she should have been patient and just waited for it to happen organically. Even if it didn’t happen, the disappointment would have been more palatable than the embarrassment she felt. She tried to hide her face again, but he moved his arm and turned the top half of his body towards her.

“I can do that,” he acquiesced and put his finger under her chin, tilting her face up towards his and before Rey could embarrass herself any further, he closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss was tightlipped at first as Rey struggled to relax and let go of her embarrassment, but then he pushed one hand into her hair and the other one fell to her hip, pulling her closer to him. Kylo was a good kisser and forgetting her humiliation was easy when his tongue was doing things that made her mind go blank.

  
When he kissed her, her flesh erupted in goosebumps and her belly turned to liquid. The hand on her hip was so warm and he used his thumbs to rub circles against her stomach; the other hand tugged gently at her hair in a way that made her shiver and when he scratched at the nape of her neck, it made her nipple tighten.

He wasn’t even doing anything sexual and her panties were soaked. It felt good, yes; her body sang in delight when the hand on her hip slid to cup her butt and pull her closer -- but it was the tenderness in every slide of his tongue and every caress of his fingers that made her see stars.

She felt beloved.

When the kiss broke, Rey wanted to cry out in loss and it wasn’t until the sound echoed in her ears that she realized she  _ had  _ cried out, but then Kylo’s lips were trailing down her neck and his tongue was sliding up the column of her neck before he breathed a puff of hot hair into her ear that made her clench her thighs and cry out again.

Her hands went from clutching his shirt to burying themselves in his ridiculously soft hair as he licked the shell of her ear and suckled at the lobe in a way that made her nipples impossibly harder.

As if he knew her breasts were begging for attention, both hands went to work undoing the little buttons on the front of her dress, and when he pushed it opened, he teased at them with feather light touches through the thin lace of her bralette. “M-more…” she panted and the desperation in her voice made it sound like someone else’s altogether in her mind.

Kylo obliged, pushing up the triangles of fabric until her breasts were free and then he reached up and pulled her hands from his hair. “Let me look at you,” he breathed and put enough distance between them that he could fully admire the pink of her nipples and the way each heaving breath she took pushed them towards his face eagerly. “Beautiful,” he sighed, reaching up to roll one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

Rey blushed, the argument on the tip of her tongue but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t beautiful and her body was nothing special, but she knew that it was beautiful to him and that was all that really mattered. When he lowered his mouth to her chest, tracing around the areola before sucking one of her hardened nipples into his mouth, Rey’s fingers went back to his hair.

She’d never known before, in all of her sexual experiences, that her nipples seemed to be directly connected to her cunt because every time Kylo rolled it in his mouth or grazed one of the peaks with his teeth, her clit throbbed in tandem. “Shit,” she breathed, falling back against the couch as he moved to her other nipple.

  
She could feel him grinning at her reaction but she was too far gone to care. Besides, now her legs were parted and he was between them and now when he sucked and nipped at her, she could arch her hips up and press herself against his stomach.

He was driving her crazy, in the most addictive way possible, and if just doing this felt good, she could only imagine how the sex would be. Her hands slid from his hair to his shoulders and she used the leverage to pull herself down further to where she could reach his belt and began to undo the buckle.

“W-wait,” Kylo pulled back and took Rey’s hands.

Rey froze as he pulled away and sat up. “You don’t want to…”

“I do. God, I do. Obviously,” he gestured to the tent in his pants before running a hand through his hair.

“We can,” Rey said, reaching forward again. “I don’t mind.”

  
Kylo grabbed her hands again and this time brought them to his mouth, kissing her knuckles gently. “Not tonight. There’s no rush.”

The rejection of his words stung and Rey pulled her hands away and crossed them over her chest, hiding her breasts as the humiliation began to creep up on her. What was the point in waiting? She wasn’t some blushing virgin and it was insulting for him to treat her like she couldn’t decide on her own.

In response, Kylo clicked his tongue and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Don’t sulk, kitten.” He kissed her cheek and purposely blew more of his warm breath against her ear in a way that he knew damn well would make her shiver. “It’s been such a nice Valentine’s Day and you made me such a nice dinner so let me give something to you.”

Rey’s eyebrows shot up and she turned to him with a look of shock. “V-valentine’s Day?”

Kylo laughed, “You didn’t know…”

She shook her head -- she’d never had a reason to celebrate the holiday and as someone who had scorned romance, she’d grown quite good at ignoring it altogether. But now she felt silly, knowing that she’d asked him out on today of all days. Kylo Ren was her first official Valentine.

He kissed her gently, tearing her away from her embarrassment and when she looked at him, he looked completely smitten by her stupidity. “Can I give you your present?” he asked gently and his hands went back to her dress, undoing a few more of the buttons as he waited for her answer.

Rey swallowed nervously but gave him a nod, wondering what kind of present he’d gotten for her. When he got the very last button out of it’s hole, he gently laid her back down and kissed his way down her body, pushing the dress open as he slid down. When he got to her panties he looked up at her and it finally occurred to her what kind of gift he had in mind.

She’d been naked in front of more men than she could count, but she couldn’t fight the blush that spread from her cheeks down her neck at the realization of what he had planned. She didn’t stop him and he must have taken that as a sign of agreement as he hooked his fingers in her underwear and slid them down her thighs.

She’d had men do this to her, of course. On the few occasions that it had happened, it had been because a man liked the taste or considered himself to be a sex god, but they’d always given up quickly when they realized it wasn’t getting her off. That’s not what they were paying for, anyway.

As Kylo bent his head and breathed more hot breath against her thighs, it became impossible for her to not think about how much she would disappoint him if she couldn’t come. Should she fake it? Would he know?   
  
All thoughts flew from her mind with the first swipe of his tongue, slow and deliberate, from her ass all the way to her clit. Oh, it was nice. His massive hands gently pushed her thighs apart and it opened herself to him more fully as he flicked his tongue at her clit. “Oh…” the sound was somewhere between a surprised exclamation and a pleasured moan.

This was good, she thought, as he used the tip of his tongue to flick at the little bud. Much better than anything she’d imagined. Her mouth went dry and she had to work to swallow and when the flicks came faster, she reached down, threading her fingers in his hair and pressing herself against his face.

And then, his lips closed around her clit and he  _ sucked _ and Rey’s entire body exploded. She’d had more self-induced orgasms in the past week than she cared to admit and yet nothing could have prepared her for this pleasure that was so intense that it bordered on painful. Her eyes went fuzzy and her toes curled and her thighs cramped from the pleasure that her body wasn’t used to.

When it was all over, Rey could hear herself mewling and gasping. Kylo was  _ still  _ sucking and she felt so sensitive that it hurt even as another orgasm began to build. “N-no,” she gasped, trying to push his head away. And then… the most wonderful thing happened; two of his thick fingers slid into her cunt and the way he filled her up eased away the ache and sent another orgasm crashing over her, more intense than the first.

It was easy to ride this one out, though, her body was better prepared and her hips undulated along with the in and out stroke of his fingers. When it was over, Kylo’s fingers were still inside of her, scissoring softly, but he had moved further up where he could see her face and when her eyes refocused, he was watching her with a look of adoration.

Rey’s heart was going to burst and when tears filled her eyes she felt so vulnerable that it was instinct to look away. She refused, instead, reaching up to cup Kylo’s face as his fingers started moving in and out again. He turned into her palm, kissing it softly before cooing, “One more, kitten. Give me one more.” And when he curled his fingers up, she arched off the couch as a third orgasm took hold.

This time, she didn’t look away, she watched him through the whole thing and when it was over, she surged up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him on top of her.

He slid his fingers from her cunt and sighed at the loss, but then he had her wrapped in his arms and turned to lay so that she was on top of him. She pressed her ear to her chest as her body calmed down, and listened to the steady beat of his heart. Several minutes passed, maybe twenty or thirty, in silence as they held each other and Rey was half-asleep when Kylo asked, “Did you like your present?”

Rey wasn’t quite sure what her present was exactly -- three consecutive orgasms or pleasure that was all hers or, as she shifted and felt him still hard against her thigh, the fact that she wasn’t obligated to reciprocate. Those things were all special gifts and all firsts for her. She buried her face against his chest as more tears filled her eyes and Kylo’s hands rubbed her back soothingly.

She was a nobody. A whore. A child who’d been discarded like trash. Her virginity had been sold off and any chance of a normal life with it. She would never get a first time with the boy she loved and she’d resigned herself to that so many years ago. And then Kylo had come along and given her three firsts in one night.

He’d treated her not like nobody or a whore or a piece of trash. He’d treated her like he loved her and like none of that mattered and so she cried because for the girl who had been so foolish to think that she didn’t deserve it or would never have it.

“I’m sorry,” Kylo kissed the top of her head. “Did I push you…?”

Rey lifted her head and glared at him, “Don’t you dare apologize.” She finally sat up and pulled away, sitting on the end of the couch. “Don’t ruin it.”

He looked shocked for a second but then gave her an amused look as he sat up and pulled her back into his arms. “Then you did like it?”

“Yes, I liked it,” she pouted and Kylo kissed the pout away. 

“My little kitten,” he cooed. “Always so feisty.” He picked up her panties and helped her rebutton her dress and Rey secretly thrilled in the way he was taking care of her. 

When he stood, part of Rey wanted to beg him to stay with her for the night, but she understood now why he said there was no rush. He’d given her more than she could ever express her thankfulness for and while she  _ did _ want sex, she also knew that the buildup would be so much better when there wasn’t obligation involved. She didn’t owe Kylo Ren a damn thing and he loved her for it. 

It almost made her giddy as she walked him to the door. “Goodnight,” she murmured, already standing on her tiptoes as she waited for a kiss.

He obliged her in a way she was growing to learn meant that she didn’t even need to ask and when he pulled away the adoration was back in his eyes. “I’ll see you soon?” he asked.

“I hope so,” Rey said honestly and when she closed the door, she waited until she heard the elevator doors close behind him before she let out the kind of excited, lovesick squeals she’d only seen in romantic comedies.

*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to write something so gushy. I don't even like Valentine's Day...


End file.
